The outbreak of full-scale war in Ukraine led to a massive rush of aid in Poland. The scale and intensity of involvement demonstrated the enormous potential dormant in Polish society. While many studies have focused on the forms of support, the motivations of volunteers, and attitudes towards Ukrainians — most concentrate on the positive effects of the aid given. The main aim of this article is to show that despite the obvious social benefits (for Ukrainian citizens, the volunteers themselves, and society as a whole) involvement in Ukrainian volunteer aid can be detrimental to the helpers. Assisting people who have suffered trauma or harm can lead to compassion fatigue, burnout, secondary traumatic stress and vicarious victimisation. An indirect aim of this analysis is to highlight the shortage of studies on the psychological and health costs of volunteering, not only in the context of helping the Ukrainian people. As a result, studies often overlook the physical and mental health of volunteers, and there is a lack of systemic support in this regard, which could ultimately lead to Poles becoming less involved in volunteering and turning away from such activity.
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