In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, MHPSS Technical Advisor Shona Whitton talks to John Richardson about disaster preparedness, disaster resilience and disaster risk reduction. And why it is a problem calling fires, floods and storms ‘natural disasters’.

John Richardson is the Manager of Knowledge Development at the Australian Institute for Disaster Resilience. Prior to his current role, John worked as the National Resilience Advisor with Australian Red Cross for more than 16 years.

English text below

Dans cet épisode de Heartbeat of Humanity, Arz Stephan, conseiller technique SMSPSS, s’entretient avec Ahlem Cheffi, conseillère technique de SMSPS, sur les concepts de « dilemme éthique » et de « blessure morale » et sur leur impact sur les travailleurs humanitaires, y compris le personnel et les bénévoles de la Croix-Rouge et du Croissant-Rouge, qui font souvent partie des premiers intervenants.

Une blessure morale est définie comme une détresse psychologique qui peut survenir dans le cadre du travail humanitaire, à la suite d’une exposition à des événements potentiellement moralement préjudiciables qui remettent en question notre morale et nos systèmes de croyance.

La blessure morale produit des sentiments d’impuissance, de désespoir et de honte. Le contraste entre la mission altruiste et humaine et les dures réalités auxquelles sont confrontés les travailleurs humanitaires peut conduire à une profonde détresse émotionnelle.

Un dilemme éthique se produit lorsque les impératifs humanitaires d’aider les autres, de sauver des vies ou d’alléger la souffrance d’autrui entrent en conflit avec d’autres principes humanitaires comme l’impartialité ou la neutralité. Le dilemme éthique survient lorsque les ressources disponibles, les obligations et les choix dans une situation spécifique ne permettent pas un résultat éthique.

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In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, MHPSS Technical Advisors Arz Stephan interviews MHPSS Technical advisor Ahlem Cheffi about the concepts of 'ethical dilemma' and 'moral injury' and how they impact humanitarian workers including Red Cross and Red Crescent staff and volunteers who are oftenamong the first responders.

A moral injury is defined as a psychological distress which may happen around humanitarian work, following exposure to potentially morally injurious events that question our values and moral. Moral injury produces feelings of helplessness, despair and shame. The contrast between the altruistic and human mission and the harsh realities faced by aid workers can lead to profound emotional distress.

An ethical dilemma occurs when the humanitarian imperatives to help others, save lives or alleviate suffering conflicts with the other humanitarian principles like the impartially or the neutrality.

The ethical dilemma arises when the available resources, obligations and choices in a specific situation do not allow an ethical outcome.

In this episode Communication Officer at the IFRC PS Centre, Villads Zahle interviews project manager, Erni Kristiansen and project consultant, Bebbie Petersen about youth to youth Psychological First Aid (PFA) in Greenland.

In this episode Communication Officer at the IFRC PS Centre, Villads Zahle interviews emergency expert and MHPSS technical advisor, Shona Whitton about the newly published Training Guide on Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Emergencies. Shona outlines the potential of the new guide in the context of her professional experiences in emergencies and the mental health implications for exposed individuals and communities.

In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, Sarah Kate van der Walt, Technical Adviser in the IFRC Psychosocial Centre and Monia Aebersold MHPSS, International Focal Point from the Swiss Red Cross, will be talking with Rebecca Horn Independent MHPSS Specialist on the importance of MHPSS evidence building in the Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement.

The episode introduces the MHPSS Evidence Building Toolkit and discusses challenges of National Societies with evidence-building and shows pathways to overcome these with best practice examples.

• MHPSS evidence building toolkit: https://pscentre.org/resource/mhpss-evidence-building-toolkit-repository/
• MHPSS evidence building report: https://pscentre.org/resource/promoting-mhpss-evidence-building-package-report/
• IASC MHPSS M&E Helpdesk webpage: https://mehelpdesk.mhpss.net/

In this episode Communication Officer at the IFRC PS Centre, Villads Zahle interviews Moaaz Allahham, a young Syrian man forced onto an irregular route to Europe, Maria Marga, an activist working for Collective Aid to assist people on the move at Serbia's border with the EU, and Sarah Harrison, an IFRC PS Centre expert on the pressures, stress and mental health implications of ongoing abuses along EU borders.

In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, Communications Officer Trine Rosa Larsen interviews Kenya Red Cross MHPSS practitioners Soony Wendy, Leyla Semkiwa, and Albert Migowa about the new KRCS MHPSS Framework, operating the toll-free 1199 helpline, mental health stigma in Kenya, suicide prevention, methadone clinics, the El-Nino floods, and caring for staff and volunteers.

In this episode of Heartbeat of Humanity, Communications Officer Jesper Guhle interviews MHPSS Technical Advisors Arz Stephan and Anna Goloktionova about the concepts of 'survivor guilt' and 'moral injury' and how they impact people including Red Cross and Red Crescent staff and volunteers who often are among the first responders.

In a time where people, either in person or on social media, are witnessing many devastating armed conflicts in Armenia, Gaza, Sudan, and Ukraine - to mention a few, as well as one environmental crisis after another with earthquakes and floods - understanding these concepts can help protect our mental health and navigate feelings of powerlessness and hopelessness.

Survival guilt and moral injury are psychological phenomena spread around humanitarian work, where the contrast between the altruistic mission and the harsh realities faced by aid workers can lead to profound emotional distress. Survival guilt arises when individuals feel an overwhelming sense of culpability for having survived a crisis or conflict while others did not. In humanitarian contexts, this guilt may stem from witnessing the suffering and loss experienced by the populations being assisted.

Moral injury, on the other hand, is a deeper psychological wound resulting from actions or witnessed events that transgress one's ethical or moral beliefs. Humanitarian workers may struggle with moral injury when faced with the inherent dilemmas of providing aid in complex, often volatile environments. The difficult decisions made to prioritize resources or navigate ethical quandaries can haunt individuals long after the mission ends.

Addressing these psychological challenges is crucial for the well-being of aid workers and the effectiveness of humanitarian efforts. Support systems such as buddy systems or peer-to-peer support groups, debriefing sessions, and adequate resources play pivotal roles in mitigating the impact of survival guilt and moral injury.

Furthermore, organizational policies need to acknowledge and proactively address these issues to foster a trauma-informed humanitarian workforce.

For more information:

Research in this field includes articles such as "The Psychological Impact of Providing Care to Traumatized Populations" (Smith et al., 2019), "Moral Injury in Humanitarian Aid Workers" (Williamson et al., 2020), and reports from renowned institutions like the World Health Organization and Médecins Sans Frontières. Understanding and mitigating survival guilt and moral injury are imperative for sustaining the mental well-being of those dedicated to alleviating global suffering, including: https://blogs.lse.ac.uk/africaatlse/2022/06/13/aid-worker-emotions-can-obstruct-meaningful-local-humanitarianism-localisation/