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Factors associated with common mental health problems of humanitarian workers in South Sudan

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  • Hannah Strohmeier
  • Willem F Scholte
  • Alastair Ager

Abstract

Background: The latest data on major attacks against civilian aid operations have identified South Sudan as the most dangerous country for aid workers globally. Exposure to other traumatic events and chronic stress is also common in this population. No research exists on the mental health of humanitarian workers in South Sudan. Objectives: This study examined symptom burden and predictors of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, anxiety, hazardous alcohol consumption, and burnout among humanitarian workers in South Sudan. Method: We conducted a cross-sectional online survey with humanitarian workers (national and international staff, consultants, United Nations volunteers). We applied validated measures useful for this setting. We applied Least Absolute Shrinkage and Selection Operator (LASSO) regression to fit models with high prediction accuracy for each outcome and used ordinary least squares (OLS) regression to obtain final coefficients and perform inference. Results: A total of 277 humanitarian workers employed by 45 organizations completed the survey (a response rate in the order of 10%). We estimated prevalence of PTSD (24%), depression (39%), anxiety disorder (38%), hazardous alcohol consumption in men (35%) and women (36%), and the burnout components emotional exhaustion (24%) and depersonalization (19%). Chronic stress exposure was positively associated with PTSD (p

Suggested Citation

  • Hannah Strohmeier & Willem F Scholte & Alastair Ager, 2018. "Factors associated with common mental health problems of humanitarian workers in South Sudan," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(10), pages 1-19, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0205333
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0205333
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Burgard, Sarah A. & Chen, Patricia V., 2014. "Challenges of health measurement in studies of health disparities," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 106(C), pages 143-150.
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    1. Isabel Josam & Sarah Grothe & Daniel Lüdecke & Nico Vonneilich & Olaf von dem Knesebeck, 2022. "Burdening and Protective Organisational Factors among International Volunteers in Greek Refugee Camps—A Qualitative Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(14), pages 1-12, July.
    2. Mason Harrell & Saranya A. Selvaraj & Mia Edgar, 2020. "DANGER! Crisis Health Workers at Risk," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(15), pages 1-12, July.
    3. Chang Liu & Melinda McCabe & Andrew Dawson & Chad Cyrzon & Shruthi Shankar & Nardin Gerges & Sebastian Kellett-Renzella & Yann Chye & Kim Cornish, 2021. "Identifying Predictors of University Students’ Wellbeing during the COVID-19 Pandemic—A Data-Driven Approach," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(13), pages 1-10, June.

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