Vicarious trauma and burnout among humanitarian aid workers in Lebanon -

Abstract

Since the eruption of the Syrian civil war in 2011, over 11 million Syrians fled their homes to seek refuge in neighboring countries, including Lebanon. Numerous international non-governmental organizations (INGO's), and local community based organizations (CBOs) have sought to address their needs. The growing number of refugees and expanding NGOs’ operations has implications for the psychological and occupational wellbeing of these organizations' aid workers. The combination of repeated exposure to stressful and traumatic accounts of refugees coupled with efforts to address their needs with limited resources can become highly emotionally straining. Two outcomes that may be particularly salient to aid workers' wellbeing are occupational burnout and vicarious traumatization. This study investigated the predictors of burnout and vicarious trauma in a sample of 116 humanitarian aid workers in Lebanon. Results revealed that perceived organizational support (POS) and self-care were significant predictors of vicarious trauma and burnout. Feelings of anger and resentment towards Syrian refugees were a significant predictor of burnout. Negative attitudes towards Syrians, and feelings of compassion and affection were not significant predictors of vicarious trauma nor burnout. The scales used to measure self- compassion and defense style were not reliable in this sample and were dropped. The interpretations of the findings and the limitations are discussed.