During disasters, aid organizations often respond using the resources of local volunteer members from the affected population who are not only inexperienced, but who additionally take on some of the more psychologically and physically difficult tasks in order to provide support for their community. Although not much empirical evidence exists to justify the claim, it is thought that preparation, training, and organizational support limit (or reduce) a volunteer's risk of developing later psychopathology. In this study, we examined the effects of preparation, training, and organizational support and assigned tasks on the mental health of 506 Indonesian Red Cross volunteers who participated in the response to a massive earthquake in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, in 2006. Controlling for exposure level, the volunteers were assessed for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression, and subjective health complaints (SHCs) 6, 12, and 18 months post-disaster. Results showed high levels of PTSD and SHCs up to 18 months post-disaster, while anxiety and depression levels remained in the normal range. Higher levels of exposure as well as certain tasks (e.g., provision of psychosocial support to beneficiaries, handling administration, or handing out food aid) made the volunteers more vulnerable. Sense of safety, expressed general need for support at 6 months, and a lack of perceived support from team leaders and the organization were also related to greater psychopathology at 18 months. The results highlight the importance of studying organizational factors. By incorporating these results into future volunteer management programs the negative effects of disaster work on volunteers can be ameliorated.

A case-referent study nested in a cohort was used to evaluate occupational variables in the incidence of breast cancer among nurses. There were 59 cases and 118 randomly chosen referents. The participation rate was 97%. Odds ratios (ORs)and 95% confidence intervals (CIs)were calculated and the weights of potential confounding factors estimated by unconditional logistic regression. The odds ratio for breast cancer in a sister was 2.83 (95% CI 1.03-7.81). Specialization in pediatric, psychiatric, general (surgical and medical), geriatric, and primary care nursing, and "other kinds of nursing," gave an adjusted OR of 1.95 (95% CI 0.84-4.54). When working in different wards was accounted for, the highest adjusted ORs were found among nurses handling cytotoxic drugs, OR 1.65 (95% CI 0.53-5.17), and among pediatric nurses, OR 1.47 (95% CI 0.63-3.41); the lowest ORs were found among nurses in primary health care, OR 0.44 (95% CI 0.20-0.96). Analyses of the data stratified on age showed similar results. Occupational risks were not ascertained. Not only occupation but career-related life-styles should be taken into account in studies of health outcomes among working women.

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Millions of volunteers respond after disasters, with a 24% to 46% risk of developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). It is unclear which symptom trajectories develop and how they differ between core (volunteering before the disaster) and noncore volunteers (joining after the disaster) and which factors predict trajectories. Symptoms of PTSD were assessed at 6-, 12-, and 18-months postearthquake in 449 volunteers in Indonesia. Demographics, previous mental health service use, self-efficacy, social acknowledgment, and type of tasks were assessed at 6 months. In both core and noncore volunteers, 2 PTSD symptom trajectories emerged: a resilient trajectory (moderate levels of symptoms with a slow decrease over time; 90.9%) and a chronic trajectory (higher levels of symptoms with an increase over time; 9.1%). In both trajectories, core volunteers had fewer symptoms than noncore volunteers. Core volunteers in the chronic trajectory were characterized by having sought prior mental help, reported lower levels of self-efficacy and social acknowledgment, and were more likely to have provided psychosocial support to beneficiaries (Cramér's V = .17 to .27, partial η(2) = .02 to .06). Aid organizations should identify and follow up chronic PTSD trajectories in volunteers, including the noncore, who may be out of sight to the organization after the acute response phase.

Parental support has been shown to reduce mental distress among adolescents; however, it is not known whether perceived parental support is a valid and reliable construct across culture. Using data from 23,605 14-to 15-year-olds across eight European cities we assessed the validity and reliability of the Perceived Parental Support (PPS) Scale. The distributional properties of the scale show a consistent pattern throughout the participating cities and Cronbach's Alpha varies from.77 to.87. Fit statistics for the factor structure of the PPS were analyzed in three models using confirmatory factor analysis with AMOS 5 implementation of structural equation modeling. All models show an adequate fit to the data with the third and final model revealing a close to perfect fit with a comparative fit index of.988 and a root mean square error of approximation of.030. We also compared the PPS Scale with the SCL-90 subscale on depressed mood and the Rosenberg SelfEsteem Scale. Correlations between the PPS and depressed mood (range −.24 to −.33) and Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (range.25 to.38) were reasonably consistent across the cities. More research on the PPS scale, including measurement invariance analyses between genders and across cultures, is recommended.