Are fatalism and optimism an obstacle to developing self-protecting behaviors? Study with a Turkish sample

Abstract

This study investigates the differences in self-protecting behaviors (SPB) related to earthquakes and traffic accidents in terms of demographic characteristics, having experiences of these events, fatalistic view, and optimistic expectations among a cohort of Turkish people (N = 398). Results show that SPB of the participants vary according to the interaction among gender, marital status, number of children, and to the interaction among personal experiences of traffic accident and/or earthquake, and relatives/friends' experiences of traffic accidents. The results of regression analysis showed that marital status, gender and optimism predict SPB.