title: Sense of Coherence as a Determinant of Psychological Well-Being Across Professional Groups of Aid Workers Exposed to War Trauma.
abstract: The present study aims to test whether sense of coherence (SOC) acts as a determinant of positive psychological functioning in aid workers directly exposed to warfare. Specifically, we performed multiple regression analyses to compare different groups of aid workers in terms of the effects of SOC and cumulative trauma on their psychological distress. Palestinian helpers, both professional and non-professional ( N = 159) completed three self-reported measures: the General Health questionnaire, Sense of Coherence Scale, and Impact of Events Scale. The findings bear out the predictive power of SOC and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in relation to mental health across different professional groups. In particular, volunteers without a specific professional profile, psychiatrists, medical doctors, and less markedly counselors seemed to protect their mental health through a SOC. Clinical implications and recommendations for training and supervision are discussed.
authors.affiliation: 1 University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy.
authors.forename: Guido
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Veronese
authors.affiliation: 1 University of Milano-Bicocca, Italy.
authors.forename: Alessandro
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Pepe
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008877:Middle East; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D000073017:Refugee Camps; D012066:Relief Work; D060685:Sense of Coherence; D013313:Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic / Q000523:psychology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology; D014857:Warfare / Q000523:psychology*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: PTSD; vicarious trauma; war