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Caring for the mental health of humanitarian volunteers in traumatic contexts: the importance of organisational support

Original Publication Date: May 8, 2025
Last Updated: May 8, 2025
Estimated Read Time: < 1 minute

Aldamman, K., Tamrakar, T., Dinesen, C., Wiedemann, N., Murphy, J., Hansen, M., Elsiddig Badr, E., Reid, T., & Vallières, F. (2019). Caring for the mental health of humanitarian volunteers in traumatic contexts: the importance of organisational support. European journal of psychotraumatology, 10(1), 1694811. https://doi.org/10.1080/20008198.2019.1694811

ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR: Humanitarian workers operate in traumatic contexts, putting them at an increased risk of adverse mental health outcomes. The quality of the support they receive from their organization, their supervisor, and team members are proposed as determinants of mental illness and well-being, via the stress-appraisal process.

Additional Resources

Working with survivors of torture in an ever-changing sociopolitical landscape globally brings unique challenges. Staff often struggle with moral distress, secondary traumatic stress, and burnout. Paying attention to staff well-being and organizational sustainability is vital to our ability to continue to provide effective care and support to our client base. Below is a compendium of previously-sent resources including selected new resources to provide guidance with staff and organizational care through times of transition.