TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2010//
TI  - The mental health impact of volunteering in a disaster setting: a review
JO  - Journal of nervous and mental disease
A1  - Thormar, Sigridur Bjork
A1  - Gersons, Berthold P. R.
A1  - Juen, Barbara
A1  - Marschang, Adelheid
A1  - Djakababa, Maria Nelden
A1  - Olff, Miranda
SP  - 529
EP  - 538
VL  - 198
IS  - 8
N2  - This article reviews the literature on mental health of volunteers after working in disasters. When mobilized they often are a community's major source for rescue and recovery. PsychINFO, PubMED, and Web of Science were searched for relevant articles published until October 2009. Of 448 articles screened, only 9 articles fulfilled our inclusion criteria. They examined the aftermath of earthquakes (4 articles), terrorist bombings (1), explosions (1), aviation disasters (1), tsunami (1), and a bus accident (1).Findings showed that, compared with professional workers, volunteers tend to have higher complaint levels. The following factors were found to contribute to mental health complaints of volunteers: Identification with victims as a friend, severity of exposure to gruesome events during disaster work, anxiety sensitivity, and lack of postdisaster social support. The review reveals the need for more research regarding predictors of stress in volunteers.<p />  <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0022-3018
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/NMD.0b013e3181ea1fa9
ID  - ref1
ER  -