AF's mission is to improve the quality of humanitarian aid by providing psychosocial and complex management support to agency staff serving in conflict and post-conflict zones. AF will coordinate a research group to implement the longitudinal study and a multi-disciplinary workgroup to develop materials, programs and strategies through practical field trials;design specialist forums and pilots;and collaborate with humanitarian organizations. The proposed study will result in three major outcomes. First, humanitarian organizations and donors will be in a position to justify the need for stress management programs. Second, evidence will be provided on the potential psychological consequences of stress from humanitarian relief efforts on the well-being of HAWs. Third, recommendations will be formulated for organizational policy and response. The consequences of stress on mental health are of growing interest to the public health sector. The relevance of the proposed study to public health includes assisting organizations in monitoring the mental health status of HAWs before, during and after deployment through education, prevention measures, support and care.
