Nienoord 5, 1112 XE
Diemen, The Netherlands
Phone: ++31 20 3308340
Fax: ++31 20 4221320
Email: antares@antaresfoundation.org
Diemen, The Netherlands
Phone: ++31 20 3308340
Fax: ++31 20 4221320
Email: antares@antaresfoundation.org
Principal Investigator:
Barbara Lopes Cardozo, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
Research Coordinator:
Bas Rijnen, Antares Foundation
The University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands; Fuller Theological Seminary, CA, USA; Pepperdine University, CA, USA; Columbia University, NY, USA, and Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, LA, USA.
The rise in low-intensity conflicts in the 1990s puts humanitarian aid workers frequently in the line of fire and affects the functioning and productivity of agency programs. In addition, the recent increased risk of terrorist activities in politically volatile emergencies contributes to the need for security and support of staff. To date, there is a serious lack of studies about the consequences of extreme stress to relief workers, what agencies can do to appropriately manage and support staff, and worker productivity (Mc Call & Salama, BMJ, 1999).
To address this, the Antares Foundation, the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention and a number of international institutions have set up a research consortium that conducts academic studies on stress in humanitarian work.
The findings of these studies will help organisations improve their staff support and stress management systems.
Only a longitudinal approach can establish the relationships between personal, organizational and duty-related stressors, and mental health and organizational productivity. The Research Group has therefore initiated a longitudinal study on stress in humanitarian aid workers.
The purpose of the research is to find out how stress affects the lives of international humanitarian aid workers and which factors contribute to it during various points of the deployment experience. Specific objectives of the research include:
The outcomes of the study will be used to make recommendations to NGOs on how to best prevent stress-related illness in their staff, to improve retention and productivity of aid workers, and to enhance the well-being of humanitarian aid workers around the world.
In order to understand the deployment experience of field staff, we asked each participant to complete a questionnaire at three different moments; one questionnaire before they leave on assignment, one when they return, and one 3 to 6 months after they have returned. The information gathered by the questionnaires includes; demographics, pre-deployment level of preparation, daily living conditions, trauma experiences (current and previous missions), psychiatric history, motivation for doing humanitarian work, organizational values, characteristics of current mission, social support, coping strategies, health symptoms, depression, anxiety, posttraumatic stress disorder, burnout, personal accomplishment, and life satisfaction.
We also ask the field staff to take three simple swabs with cotton of their mouth three times in one day for each of the three survey times. The purpose of these swabs is for our research to examine the saliva for levels of stress hormones.
The recruitment of NGOs and enrolment of respondents started in early 2005. 17 NGOs are enrolled. The data collection phase ended in June 2009. Currently the data is being analyzed. The final report is projected to be ready in early 2010.
For more information please contact Bas Rijnen at antares@antaresfoundation.org
Even less is known about the consequences of the stress of humanitarian relief work among national humanitarian aid workers. Even though national staff makes up the majority of the workforce in many humanitarian organizations, entitlements to services including basic health care, psychological support, medical evaluation, salaries and other benefits, organizational support structures, and security policies for national staff are generally less comprehensive than for expatriate staff (McCall et al., 1999). In addition, national staff have often suffered prior traumatic experiences and other extreme stress related to the complex humanitarian emergency in their countries. National staff is also more likely to identify with beneficiaries of the programs of the organizations they work for as they often belong to the same group and have suffered similar traumatic events. It is known that such identification may lead more easily to vicarious traumatization and burnout (Smith B, 1996).
The goal of the study is to provide evidence regarding stress-related mental health outcomes and the background information for stress management programs aimed at national humanitarian aid workers. Specific objectives include:
This study will consist of a number of cross-sectional surveys conducted in different countries and settings. The selection of sites will be determined based on a number of factors: a) The selected site is in a conflict- or post conflict setting b) availability of sufficient number of International and National humanitarian agencies; c) feasibility of working in this country/setting in terms of security, logistics, accessibility, funding, and already established contacts.
Selected sites:
Our work in Jordan is already underway, and several visits by Antares staff have already been made. The data gathered by the research in this context will be used as the basis for a tailor made training program for staff. For more information on this, see our projects page.
The research consortium is currently identifying other possible sites.
For more information please contact Bas Rijnen at antares@antaresfoundation.org
