Psychological distress, depression, anxiety, and burnout among international humanitarian aid workers: a longitudinal study

Background
International humanitarian aid workers providing care in emergencies are subjected to numerous chronic and traumatic stressors.

Objectives
To examine consequences of such experiences on aid workers' mental health and how the impact is influenced by moderating variables.

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Stress sensitization following a disaster: a prospective study

Abstract
Background According to the stress sensitization hypothesis, prior exposure to extreme stressors may lead to increased responsiveness to subsequent stressors. It is unclear whether disaster exposure is associated with stress sensitization and, if so, whether this effect is lasting or temporary. This study aimed to investigate the occurrence and duration of stress sensitization prospectively following a major disaster.

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Brief eclectic psychotherapy v. eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing therapy for post-traumatic stress disorder: randomised controlled trial

 

Background

Trauma-focused cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) and eye movement desensitisation and reprocessing therapy (EMDR) are efficacious treatments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but few studies have directly compared them using well-powered designs and few have investigated response patterns.

Aims

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Helping Hands at School and in the Community: Guidance for School-Based Psychosocial Programmes for Teachers, Parents and Children in Conflict and Postconflict Areas

Abstract

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Pre-deployment mental health and trauma exposure of expatriate humanitarian aid workers: risk and resilience factors

Abstract
Expatriate aid workers (n = 214) representing 19 nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) completed a predeployment
survey, including measures of mental health (depression, anxiety, and posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD]); risk factors
(childhood trauma, family risk, and adult trauma exposure); and resilience factors (coping, social support, and healthy lifestyle)
to assess their baseline mental health during preparation for deployment. Multiple regression analysis indicated that childhood

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Preventing Religious Radicalisation and Violent Extremism: A Systematic Review of the Research Evidence

Executive summary

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War trauma lingers on: Associations between maternal posttraumatic stress disorder, parent–child interaction, and child development

The combination of vulnerability and resilience after traumatic experiences is a bewildering juxtaposition seen in human beings and especially so in children. A striking illustration of this juxtaposition are the findings of studies on the impact of traumatic events experienced by parents on health and adjustment of their children (often labeled as intergenerational transmission of trauma or secondary traumatization).

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Experiences of a junior doctor establishing mental health services in Somaliland

The author of this personal reflection is a junior doctor from Somaliland, a country that has suffered from civil war. He studied medicine there, and became interested in mental health care. This aspect of heath care is among the most neglected in the horn of Africa. However, with the support of British psychiatrists, the author has established educational training in psychiatry. He has also subsequently initiated mental health services in his hometown of Borama.

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How bereavement became strength: the story of an Iraqi woman working with war affected widows in Baghdad

In 2006, the author was studying for her MA degree in English, in Baghdad. A married Iraqi woman, she was kidnapped along with her husband. She was released after eight days, but her husband was killed. In this personal re£ection, she describes her own profound grief and how she found meaning in life once again while working with the International Organization for Migration. This intergovernmental organisation gave her the opportunity to provide support to other Iraqi widows.

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The story of a Congolese refugee worker in Tanzania

The author, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, was trained to teach children with special needs. In this personal re£ection, she describes how due to the violence in her home country, she became a refugee in Tanzania, twice. She describes the suffering she has faced, including the death of her own children, and her experiences of sexual violence. In the refugee camp of Nyarugusu in Tanzania, she became involved in psychosocial work and learnt the power of working within the community.

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