Research That Matters (January 17 - 20, 2008)

Purpose: Aid workers operating in war zones are susceptible to high level of distress and hazards as a result of dealing with victims and directly being trapped in dangerous situations (McFarlane, 2004). Aid workers or social workers dealing with traumatized victims are at increased risk of developing the same symptoms as persons who are exposed directly to the trauma. Problems aid worker face include secondary traumatic stress (Perry, 2007), burnout, depression, non-psychotic psychiatric disorders (Cardozo, et al, 2005,), risk-taking behavior, somatic symptoms (Salama, 2007), non-directed anger, intrusive thoughts, and fear of the future (Omidian, 2001). International aid workers may additionally be exposed to culture shock and lack of support provided by family, partner, close friend, or culture (Salama, 2007). However, research in the area of relief workers' mental health is still unsatisfactory. The present study focuses on psychological health problems encountering aid workers assisting war victims in Darfur-Sudan.

Method: Participants were 70 humanitarian aid workers representing 10 relief organizations operating in Darfur. The sample was randomly selected from aid workers who had first hand experience with victims inside the camps. Their ages ranged between 20 and 55 years (mean age= 31.6 years). Seventy two per cent of the participants were Sudanese nationals while 28% were international aid workers. The percentages of male and female participants were 45% and 55% respectively. The General Health (GHQ), Relief Worker Burn out, Professional Quality of Life questionnaires were administered to investigate relationships between distress, depression, anxiety, social dysfunction, somatic symptoms, burnout, compassion satisfaction, and secondary traumatic stress.

Results: The analyses indicated that about 25% of aid workers suffered Secondary Traumatic Stress. About 25% of aid workers score higher than 26 on Compassion Satisfaction scale which indicates that they might derive a good deal of professional satisfaction from their work. Burnout questionnaire: forty two percent of aid workers scored higher than 15 which indicates high probability of burnout. Analysis of the GHQ revealed that 51% of the aid workers exceeded the cutoff point of 4 which renders them as non-psychotic psychiatric cases.

Conclusions and implications: This study provides vital information for humanitarian organizations and aid workers operating in war zones and researchers interested in this field as well. It seems that aid workers in Drafur encounter several serious adjustment problems. The high incidence of secondary traumatic stress, psychiatric illnesses, and burnout among aid workers can be attributed to experiencing difficult situations such as being in direct contact with highly traumatized victims and hostile environment. Aid workers tended to be blamed by victims for shortage in services ( food, water, shelter, security etc.,). This condition may justify the high percentage of aid workers who are dissatisfied with their work . The findings of this study implies that managers and directors of aid organizations should create a positive work climate for their co workers through equip aid workers with adequate training, cultural orientation, psychological support services. .