{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,11]],"date-time":"2025-10-11T01:00:17Z","timestamp":1760144417702,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":52,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2024,4,18]],"date-time":"2024-04-18T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1713398400000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"OLAM TOGEHER"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["JCM"],"abstract":"<jats:p>Background: Humanitarian aid workers (HAWs) are indirectly exposed to atrocities relating to people of concern (POC). This may result in a risk of secondary traumatization demonstrated by post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSSs). Previous studies have demonstrated that hemispheric lateralization (HL) moderates the relationship between threat exposure and post-traumatic stress symptoms (PTSSs). Aims: We hypothesized that indirect exposure to atrocities (IETA) would be positively correlated with PTSSs among HAWs with right and not left HL. Method: Fifty-four HAWs from several countries that provided humanitarian support in Greece and Colombia participated in this correlational and cross-sectional observation study. They completed scales relating to IETA, PTSSs were assessed using a brief, valid scale, and HL was measured. Results: IETA was positively and significantly related to PTSSs (r = 0.39, p &lt; 0.005). Considering HL, IETA was unrelated to PTSSs among people with right HL (r = 0.29, p = 0.14), while IETA was related to PTSSs among people with left HL (r = 0.52, p = 0.008). Right HL emerged as a protective factor in the relationship between IETA and PTSS. Conclusions: An assessment of dominant HL can serve as one consideration among others when deploying HAWs in specific locations and roles, vis \u00e0 vis IETA. Moreover, those found to have a higher risk for PTSSs based on their HL could be monitored more closely to prevent adverse reactions to IETA.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/jcm13082373","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2024,4,18]],"date-time":"2024-04-18T12:15:32Z","timestamp":1713442532000},"page":"2373","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Indirect Exposure to Atrocities and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Symptoms among Aid Workers: Hemispheric Lateralization Matters"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"given":"Einav","family":"Levy","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Social Work, Tel Hai College, Qiryat Shemona 1220800, Israel"},{"name":"Research Center for Innovation in Social Work, Tel Hai College, Qiryat Shemona 1220800, Israel"},{"name":"The Israeli School of Humanitarian Action, Tel Aviv 4632825, Israel"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Daniela","family":"Herzog","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Maccabi Healthcare Services, Tel Aviv 6812509, Israel"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-9028-1154","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Chen Hanna","family":"Ryder","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Brain & Behavior Research Institute, Western Galilee Academic College, Akko 2412101, Israel"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Rachel","family":"Grunstein","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Social Work, Tel Hai College, Qiryat Shemona 1220800, Israel"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Yori","family":"Gidron","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Nursing, Haifa University, Haifa 3498838, Israel"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2024,4,18]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"145","DOI":"10.1093\/epirev\/mxr026","article-title":"Humanitarian relief workers and trauma-related mental illness","volume":"34","author":"Connorton","year":"2012","journal-title":"Epidemiol. 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