Abstract
Background: Natural disasters profoundly upset moral and psychological stability, positioning mental health professionals in dual roles as both helpers and survivors. After devastating earthquakes in Türkiye, counsellors had to deal with stressors that required both personal resilience and professional stability. Belief in a just world (BJW) and perceived social support (PSS) are two factors that may help sustain psychological well-being (PWB) in the post-disaster context following large-scale earthquakes. However, empirical research examining how moral belief systems and relational resources jointly shape the well-being of disaster-exposed mental health professionals remains limited.Objective: This study examined whether PSS mediates the relationship between BJW and PWB among counsellors working in earthquake-affected regions of Türkiye.Methods: A cross-sectional design was employed with 445 licenced counsellors (88.3% female; Mage = 29.8). Participants completed validated measures of BJW, PSS, and PWB. Structural equation modelling (SEM) was used to test a mediation model and a parallel mediation model including three support sources (family, friends, significant others).Results: Mediation analysis revealed that PSS partially mediated the relationship between BJW and PWB (β = .11, 95% CI [.07, .17]), with BJW showing both direct (β = .30, p < .001) and indirect effects. In the parallel mediation model, all support sources acted as significant mediators; family support yielded the strongest indirect effect (β = .05), followed by friends and significant others (β = .03 each). The full model accounted for 48% of the variance in PWB (R² = .48).Conclusion: Counsellors who held stronger BJW experienced greater levels of PSS, which was associated with higher PWB. These findings underscore the significance of incorporating moral belief systems and relational resources in post-disaster interventions for helping professionals.