Volunteering in the aftermath of disasters: Psychopathology and volunteer management

The numbers of disasters in the world have multiplied in recent years. The same goes for community volunteers that respond to these events. In developing countries community volunteers are often the largest resource available in the first 48 hours until a more skilled team of rescuers arrives. Volunteers, mostly working for humanitarian organizations like the Red Cross have been understudied and thus very little is known about the mental health effects of the tasks they take on. They step into the shoes of skilled and trained professionals by rescuing civilians as well as recovering those who have lost their lives. This dissertations shows that about 20% of these volunteers may suffer from post-traumatic stress in the aftermath of their work and that there are various factors, both interpersonal and organizational that are related to the complaints. Recommendations for volunteer management are provided.