Staffers Assisting Syrian Refugees in Jordan

Background and Purpose: The Syrian tragic war has created a mass exodus of its citizens to the neighboring countries of Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, Iraq and Egypt. Approximately 1.4 million Syrian refugees reside in Jordanian host-communities. Organizations assisting Syrian refugees are over burdened with this humanitarian catastrophe and encounter diverse difficulties facing the consequences of this massive conflict displacement. Staff and volunteers working in the Jordanian refugee camps and with Syrian refugees in the host communities experience the horrors of war through their efforts to alleviate suffering.

The aim of this study was to learn about the psycho-social and mental health needs of the staffers who provide services to these refugees. The project also sought to determine whether staff’s exposure to refugee experiences affects their mental health. Specifically: Is such exposure associated with secondary traumatization or other impacts on staff wellbeing?

Methods: Fieldwork took place from March to August 2014 in Jordan. Data were collected using cross-sectional survey design. The scales were administrated in Arabic (96%) for local aid-workers and English (4%) for foreigners / international aid-workers. Staffers (N=300) completed surveys related to their work (i.e. exposure to traumatic stories of refugees and safety), training, emotional supervision, and their mental health (i.e. secondary traumatization and coping mechanisms) and psychosocial needs (benefits, salary, health insurance). Staffers included professionals in medicine, mental health, and volunteers working with 20 humanitarian organizations in Jordan. Participants were assessed on the Harvard Trauma Questionnaire (HTQ), Secondary Traumatization Questionnaire (STQ), and the Needs at Work Assessment Scale. Participation was voluntary and no incentives were provided. This research was approved by the permission of the Committee for the Protection of Human Subjects of University of California, Berkeley. Univariate statistics were used to provide a descriptive overview of the staffers’ experience.

Results: The survey indicates that staffers faced significant unmet needs in the performance of their work roles. They were particularly concerned for their own safety and security while working in the camps. They received few social benefits, insufficient salary, and faced significant challenges related to a physical office space needed in their work. The survey also indicates that the staff were at significant risk for negative mental health outcomes associated with the greater exposure to refugees’ traumatic experiences. Increased exposure was associated with increased secondary traumatization. In addition, staffers indicated an enormous need for emotional supervision and education-specific training in best practices related to coping with refugees and in increasing their own resilience. 

Conclusions and Implications: The findings suggest that staff preforming humanitarian duties in conflict situations have significant mental health issues and needs that when addressed will enable them to be more effective helpers. The study will produce a needs assessment useful for humanitarian organizations, policy makers and governmental authorities that seek to support and protect vulnerable populations and helpers in conflict situations. Furthermore, the research results will contribute to tailoring a training program for staffers who work with refugees, not only in the Middle East, but also around the globe.