Documenting the complex relationship between self-efficacy, resiliency, and workplace empowerment: a case study of humanitarian workers in Palestine

Abstract

There remains a critical gap in understanding challenges faced by humanitarian workers who may be key in providing assistance during complex emergencies. This study examines self-reported views by humanitarian workers working in Palestine concerning three concepts: resilience, generalized self-efficacy, and importance of workplace empowerment. Aid workers in Palestine face unique obstacles placed on economic, social, and political autonomy imposed by Israeli policy. Data obtained from 46 humanitarian workers recruited using snowball sampling methodology hint at a complex relationship between the three concepts. Firstly, a hypothesized positive relationship between resiliency and generalized self-efficacy was supported. Secondly, an unexpected negative relationship was found between resiliency and workplace empowerment. Finally, counter to our hypothesis, no significant relationship was found between self-efficacy and workplace empowerment. Gender differences also highlight disparities between the experience of women and men in the non-profit workplace in Palestine. This study adds to our knowledge regarding unique stresses on humanitarian workers and enhances a growing base of literature focused on national staff and volunteers.

Exploring the health consequences of armed conflict: the perspective of Northeast Ethiopia, 2022: a qualitative study

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Providing care under extreme adversity: The impact of the Yemen conflict on the personal and professional lives of health workers

“…Previous studies have confirmed the link between self-efficacy of workers in humanitarian settings and their overall resilience. For example, a study of Palestinian humanitarian workers found that higher self-efficacy among workers exposed to repeated traumatic events was associated with overall higher resiliency scores ( Bonnan-White and Issa, 2016 ). Self-efficacy has also been linked to health workers’ ability to manage work related stress and avoid exhaustion.…”