Stress management in support of victims of rape and sexual assaults in post-conflict context: the case of medical and psychosocial stakeholders in Burundi

This paper presents the main results of a case study conducted with medical and psychosocial stakeholders in Burundi. In a context of post-conflict, these people support victims of rape or other sexual assaults. Given the great distress and suffering of users, we tried to better understand how they proceed to manage the stress of their profession and enduring investment in such a psychologically difficult professional field. Three instruments were used to collect data: the Coping Inventory for stressful situations provided us information about the strategies implemented by stakeholders to preserve their mental and professional balance; the Revised personal style inventory allowed us to better understand their interpersonal relationships and to assess their vulnerability to depression; the motivations of the 13 Burundian participants and their intervention practices were discussed during semi-directive interviews. Results show that internal resources, peers' support, collaboration with partner organizations and general social support seem to be components of types of operation that can help them manage these stressful situations.