This study assessed psychological hardiness and compassion satisfaction among the Türk Kızılay (Turkish Red Crescent) personnel and volunteers involved in the 2023 Kahramanmaraş earthquake. Additionally, the relationship between compassion satisfaction and psychological hardiness was also investigated.

This cross-sectional study was conducted between March and July 2023. Participants completed an online survey, which included the Sociodemographic Information Form, Psychological Hardiness Scale, and Compassion Satisfaction Scale. The data was analyzed with SPSS version 25 (IBM Corp., Armonk, New York, USA), using a significance level of 95% and p < 0.05.

The study involved 400 participants, comprising 84 (21%) personnel and 316 (79%) volunteers. Participants exhibited an average psychological hardiness level of 24.56 ± 7.25 and a compassion satisfaction level of 47.40 ± 17.28. A significant positive correlation was observed between compassion satisfaction and psychological hardiness (r = 0.571; p < 0.001). The results of logistics regression have revealed that the level of psychological hardiness is higher in males compared to females (OR = 1.930, CI = 1.115 − 3.340; P < 0.05) and is also higher in those with high compassion satisfaction compared to those with low compassion satisfaction (OR = 1.386, CI = 1.256 − 1.529; p < 0.001).

The findings of this study indicate that individuals involved in disaster response should consider compassion satisfaction as an important tool for enhancing psychological hardiness.