University of Otago student Susan Wardell (23) said her thesis compared what caused youth workers to suffer ''compassion fatigue'' in New Zealand and Uganda.
''Compassion fatigue is when you are doing work that could be traumatic, like talking to young people who have problems. It gets a bit tiring.''
When there was a large ''emotional need'', it could prove difficult for youth workers to limit the amount they gave to sustainable levels, Mrs Wardell said.
She gave sustainably by recognising what ''you can and can't do'' and then doing as much as possible.
The thesis was comparing 15 youth workers in Christchurch with another 15 youth workers in Kampala, Uganda.
She went to Kampala in December last year for 10 weeks and plans to return again in January, this time with a new baby, she said.
''That was the other thing I brought back from Africa. I had my husband travelling with me and then badda-bing-badda-boom. Everyone has been hassling me about smuggling back an African child.''
The social anthropology and communications student said before going to Uganda she had expected burnout to be more of a Western phenomenon and therefore less prevalent in Uganda.
But it was the same as in New Zealand.
''It's actually the same experience in Uganda, but they use different words for it, like `burdened', `tired' or `low','' she said.
Mental health issues in New Zealand included milder mood disorders such as depression and burnout, but in Uganda mental health problems were associated with psychosis and other forms of severe mental disorder, she said.
''There are a lot of mad people walking around the street, so it is at the forefront of their minds.''
As a result, Ugandan youth workers denied they suffered any form of mental illness, even though many had symptoms similar to those suffered by youth workers in New Zealand.
There was still a stigma attached to mental health issues in New Zealand but not at the same level as Uganda, she said.
There were many great moments in Uganda and it was ''amazing'' baptising people in Lake Victoria.
''It was a treat for everyone to be at the lake, because that church was from the slums in the middle of the city so it was a day trip out. It was really cool to see people with so much hope and purpose in their lives.''
