Department of Psychosocial Science, Faculty of Psychology, University of Bergen, Christies gt. 12, Bergen, 5015, Norway.
Department of Social Anthropology, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.
BMC Psychiatry. 2024 Nov 16;24(1):818. doi: 10.1186/s12888-024-06255-4.
Aid workers with a refugee background are increasingly engaged in the humanitarian field. These individuals, known as peer refugee helpers (PRHs), contribute to providing psychosocial support for other refugees. However, few studies have focused on the mental health and wellbeing of PRHs.
This study aims to investigate the experiences of PRHs of Afghan origin in the humanitarian field in Greece.
Seven focus group interviews took place in a hybrid format, online or in-person. PRHs of Afghan origin (N = 18), working for various Aid/Humanitarian Organizations (AOs), participated. Data was analyzed using template analysis.
The analysis identified job resources reflected in the dimensions of sense of coherence (meaningfulness, manageability, comprehensibility) and job demands associated with role overload, role conflict, and role boundaries. Gender differences were noticeable. Specifically, female PRHs experienced empowerment, through accessing new opportunities often not available within Afghan communities. Female PRHs frequently reported going against traditional gender roles and faced negative reactions from their peers. Male PRHs reported feeling empowered through their engagement as a PRH, as it helped them fulfill their personal goals, such as becoming a good example within their families or communities.
Recommendations for policymakers and AOs based on the study results include: (1) Offer training, supervision, and psychosocial support for PRHs to enhance work engagement and prevent emotional exhaustion; (2) Address gender differences ensuring the protection and support of female PRHs; (3) Adopt scalable psychosocial interventions to promote agency and a concrete way of engaging with beneficiaries; (4) Formalize job roles outlining responsibilities and expectations for PRHs.
具有难民背景的援助工作者越来越多地参与人道主义领域。这些被称为同伴难民援助者 (PRH) 的人，为其他难民提供社会心理支持做出了贡献。然而，很少有研究关注 PRH 的心理健康和福祉。
本研究旨在调查在希腊人道主义领域工作的阿富汗裔 PRH 的经历。
以混合形式（在线或面对面）进行了 7 次焦点小组访谈。参与的是为各种援助/人道主义组织 (AO) 工作的阿富汗裔 PRH（N=18）。使用模板分析对数据进行分析。
分析确定了工作资源，反映在意义感、可管理性、可理解性的连贯性维度和与角色过载、角色冲突和角色边界相关的工作需求。性别差异很明显。具体而言，女性 PRH 通过获得阿富汗社区内通常无法获得的新机会而获得赋权。女性 PRH 经常报告违背传统性别角色，并遭到同行的负面反应。男性 PRH 通过作为 PRH 的参与感到赋权，因为这有助于他们实现个人目标，例如在家庭或社区中成为一个好榜样。
根据研究结果，向政策制定者和 AO 提出以下建议：(1) 为 PRH 提供培训、监督和社会心理支持，以提高工作投入度并预防情绪耗竭；(2) 关注性别差异，确保保护和支持女性 PRH；(3) 采用可扩展的社会心理干预措施，以促进能动性和与受益人具体互动的方式；(4) 正式确定 PRH 的工作角色，明确职责和期望。
