The Library

Work-related psychological health among clergy serving in the Presbyterian Church (USA) : testing the idea of balanced affect

Tools

Francis, Leslie J., Village, Andrew, Robbins, Mandy and Wulff, Keith. (2011) Work-related psychological health among clergy serving in the Presbyterian Church (USA) : testing the idea of balanced affect. Review of Religious Research, Vol.53 (No.1). pp. 9-22. ISSN 0034-673X

Preview

PDF
WRAP_Francis_PUSA_Burnout_AV_revision.pdf - Accepted Version - Requires a PDF viewer such as GSview, Xpdf or Adobe Acrobat Reader
Download (279Kb)

Official URL: http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13644-011-0003-8

Abstract

Drawing on the classic model of balanced affect, the Francis Burnout Inventory (FBI) conceptualises good work-related psychological health among clergy in terms of negative affect being balanced by positive affect. In a random sample of 744 clergy (539 clergymen and 205 clergywomen) serving in The Presbyterian Church (USA), negative affect was assessed by the Scale of Emotional Exhaustion in Ministry (SEEM) and positive affect was assessed by the Satisfaction in Ministry Scale (SIMS). At the same time, burnout was independently assessed using self-report measures of overall health and burnout, and by the extraversion and neuroticism scales of Eysenck’s dimensional model of personality. These independent measures of burnout indicated higher burnout among those who were emotionally exhausted and lower burnout among those who had high levels of satisfaction with their ministry. Crucially for proving the idea of balanced affect, there was a significant interaction between the effects of SEEM and SIMS scores on these independent measures of burnout, showing that the mitigating effects of positive affect on burnout increased with increasing levels of negative affect.

Item Type:

Journal Article

Subjects:

B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology
B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BR Christianity

Divisions:

Faculty of Social Sciences > Institute of Education ( -2013)

Library of Congress Subject Headings (LCSH):

Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. -- Clergy -- Psychology, Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. -- Clergy -- Job stress, Presbyterian Church in the U.S.A. -- Clergy -- Job satisfaction

Journal or Publication Title:

Review of Religious Research

Publisher:

Springer

ISSN:

0034-673X

Official Date:

September 2011

Dates:

Date	Event
September 2011	Published

Volume:

Vol.53

Number:

No.1

Page Range:

pp. 9-22

Identification Number:

10.1007/s13644-011-0003-8

Status:

Peer Reviewed

Publication Status:

Published

Access rights to Published version:

Restricted or Subscription Access

References:

Bradburn, N. M. (1969). The structure of psychological well-being. Chicago: Illinois, Aldine.
Brewster, C. E., Francis, L. J., & Robbins, M. (2011). Maintaining a public ministry in rural England: Work-related psychological health and psychological type among Anglican clergy serving in multi-church benefices, in H-G. Ziebertz, & L. J. Francis (Eds.) (pp. 241-265), The public significance of religion. Leiden: Brill.
Bühler, K.-E., & Land, T. (2004). Burnout and personality in extreme nursing: An empirical study. Schweizer Archiv für Neurologie und Psychiatrie, 155, 35-42.
Capel, S. A. (1992). Stress and burnout in teachers. European Journal of Teacher Education, 15, 197-211.
Charlton, R., Rolph, J., Francis, L. J., Rolph, P., & Robbins, M. (2009). Clergy work-related psychological health: Listening to the ministers of word and sacrament within the United Reformed Church in England. Pastoral Psychology, 58, 133-149.
Coate, M. A. (1989). Clergy stress: The hidden conflicts in ministry. London: SPCK.
Davey, J. (1995). Burnout: Stress in ministry. Leominster: Gracewing.
DeVellis, R. F. (2003). Scale development: Theory and applications. London, Sage.
Doolittle, B. R. (2007). Burnout and coping among parish-based clergy. Mental Health, Religion and Culture, 10, 31-38.
Evers, W., & Tomic, W. (2003). Burnout among Dutch Reformed pastors. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 31, 329-338.
Eysenck, H. J., & Eysenck, M. W. (1985). Personality and individual differences: A natural science approach. New York: Plenum Press.
Eysenck, H. J., & Eysenck, S. B. G. (1975). Manual of the Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (adult and junior). London: Hodder and Stoughton.
Eysenck, H. J., & Eysenck, S. B. G. (1976). Psychoticism as a dimension of personality. London: Hodder and Stoughton.
Eysenck, H. J., & Eysenck, S. B. G. (1991). Manual of the Eysenck Personality Scales. London: Hodder and Stoughton.
Eysenck, S. B. G., Eysenck, H. J., & Barrett, P. (1985). A revised version of the psychoticism scale. Personality and Individual Differences, 6, 21-29.
Fletcher, B. (1990). Clergy under stress: A study of homosexual and heterosexual clergy. London: Mowbray.
Francis, L. J. (1993). The dual nature of the Eysenckian neuroticism scales: A question of sex differences? Personality and Individual Differences, 15, 43-59.
Francis, L. J. (1999). Happiness is a thing called stable extraversion: A further examination of the relationship between the Oxford Happiness Inventory and Eysenck’s dimensional model of personality and gender. Personality and Individual Differences, 26, 5-11.
Francis, L. J., Brown, L. B., & Philipchalk, R. (1992). The development of an abbreviated form of the Revised Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQR-A): Its use among students in England, Canada, the USA and Australia. Personality and Individual Differences, 13, 443-449.
Francis, L. J., Kaldor, P., Robbins, M., & Castle, K. (2005). Happy but exhausted? Work-related psychological health among clergy. Pastoral Sciences, 24, 101-120.
Francis, L. J., Kaldor, P., Shevlin, M., & Lewis, C. A. (2004). Assessing emotional exhaustion among the Australian clergy: Internal reliability and construct validity of the Scale of Emotional Exhaustion in Ministry (SEEM). Review of Religious Research, 45, 269-277.
Francis, L. J., Louden, S. H., & Rutledge, C. J. F. (2004). Burnout among Roman Catholic parochial clergy in England and Wales: Myth or reality? Review of Religious Research, 46, 5-19.
Francis, L. J., Robbins, M., Kaldor, K., & Castle, K. (2009). Psychological type and work-related psychological health among clergy in Australia, England and New Zealand. Journal of Psychology and Christianity, 28, 200-212.
Francis, L. J., Robbins, M., Louden, S. H., & Haley, J. M. (2001). A revised psychoticism scale for the Revised Eysenck Personality Questionnaire: A study among clergy. Psychological Report, 88, 1131-1134.
Francis, L. J., & Rutledge, C. J. F. (2000). Are rural clergy in the Church of England under greater stress? A study in empirical theology. Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion, 11, 173-191.
Francis, L. J., & Turton, D. W. (2004a). Reflective ministry and empirical theology: Antidote to clergy stress? In C. A. M. Hermans, & M. E. Moore (Eds.) Hermeneutics and empirical research in practical theology: The contribution of empirical theology by Johannes A van der Ven. (pp. 245-265). Leiden: Brill.
Francis, L. J., & Turton, D. W. (2004b). Recognising and understanding burnout among the clergy: A perspective from empirical theology. In D. Herl & M. L. Berman (Eds.), Building bridges over troubled waters: Enhancing pastoral care and guidance (pp 307-331). Lima, Ohio: Wyndham Hall Press,.
Francis, L. J., Turton, D. W., & Louden, S. H. (2007). Dogs, cats and Catholic parochial clergy in England and Wales: Exploring the relationship between companion animals and work-related psychological health. Mental Health, Religion and Culture, 10, 47-60.
Francis, L. J. Wulff, K., & Robbins, M. (2008). The relationship between work-related psychological health and psychological type among clergy serving in the Presbyterian Church (USA). Journal of Empirical Theology, 21, 166-182.
Furnham, A. (1986). Response bias, social desirability and dissimulation. Personality and Individual Differences, 7, 385-400.
Goddard, R., Creed, P., & Patton, W. (2001). The impact of skills training on the burnout and distress of employment service case managers. Journal of Vocational Education and Training, 53, 193-204.
Goddard, R., O’Brien, P., & Goddard, M. (2006). Work environment predictors of beginning teacher burnout. British Educational Research Journal, 32, 857-874.
Goddard, R., Patton, W., & Creed, P. (2004). The importance and place of neuroticism in predicting burnout in employment service case managers. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 34, 282-296.
Golden, J., Piedmont, R. L., Ciarrocchi, J. W., & Rodgerson, T. (2004). Spirituality and burnout: An incremental validity study. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 32, 115-125.
Hills, P., Francis, L. J., & Rutledge, C. J. F. (2004). The factor structure of a measure of burnout specific to clergy, and its trial application with respect to some individual difference. Review of Religious Research, 46, 27-42.
Irvine, A. R. (1997). Between two worlds: Understanding and managing clergy stress. London: Mowbray.
Kaldor, P., & Bullpitt, R. (2001). Burnout in church leaders. Adelaide, South Australia: Openbook Publishers.
Lehr, F. (2006). Clergy burnout: Recovering from the 70-hour work week and other self defecting practices. Minneapolis, MN: Augsburg Fortress.
McCrae, R. R., & Costa, P. T. (1983). Social desirability scales: More substance than style. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 51, 882-888.
Manlove, E. E. (1993). Multiple correlates of burnout in child care workers. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 8, 499-518.
Maslach, C., & Jackson, S. (1996). The Maslach Burnout Inventory (3rd edition). Palo Alto, California: Consulting Psychologists Press.
Miner, M. H. (2007a). Changes in burnout over the first 12 months in ministry: Links with stress and orientation to ministry. Mental Health, Religion and Culture, 10, 9-16.
Miner, M. H. (2007b). Burnout in the first year of ministry: Personality and belief style as important predictors. Mental Health, Religion and Culture, 10, 17-29.
O’Donovan, D. (1969). An historical review of the lie scale: With particular reference to the Maudsley Personality Inventory. Papers in Psychology, 3, 13-19.
Raj, A., & Dean, K. E. (2005). Burnout and depression among Catholic priests in India. Pastoral Psychology, 54, 157-171.
Randall, K. (2004). Burnout as a predictor of leaving Anglican parish ministry. Review of Religious Research, 46, 20-26.
Randall, K. (2007). Examining the relationship between burnout and age among Anglican clergy in England and Wales. Mental Health, Religion and Culture, 10, 39-46.
Robbins, M., & Francis, L. J. (2010). Work-related psychological health among Church of England clergywomen: Individual differences and psychological type. Review of Religious Research, 52, 57-71.
Rodgerson, T.E., & Piedmont, R.L. (1998). Assessing the incremental validity of the Religious Problem-Solving Scale in the prediction of clergy burnout. Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, 37, 517-527.
Rutledge, C. J. F. (2006). Burnout and the practice of ministry among rural clergy: Looking for the hidden signs. Rural Theology, 4(1), 57-65.
Rutledge, C. J. F., & Francis, L. J. (2004). Burnout among male Anglican parochial clergy in England: Testing a modified form of the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion, 15, 71-93.
Sanford, J. A. (1982). Ministry burnout. London: Arthur James.
Strümpfer, D. J. W., & Bands, J. (1996). Stress among clergy: An exploratory study on South African Anglican priests. South African Journal of Psychology. 26(2), 67-75.
Stanton-Rich, H. M., & Iso-Ahola, S. E. (1998). Burnout and leisure. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 28, 1931–1950.
Turton, D. W., & Francis, L. J. (2007). The relationship between attitude toward prayer and professional burnout among Anglican parochial clergy in England: Are praying clergy healthier clergy? Mental Health, Religion and Culture, 10, 61-74.
Virginia, S. G. (1998). Burnout and depression among Roman Catholic secular, religious, and monastic clergy. Pastoral Psychology, 47, 49-67.
Walmsley, R. C., & Lummis, A. T. (1997). Healthy clergy: Wounded healers. New York: Church Publishing Incorporated.
Warner, J., & Carter, J.D. (1984). Loneliness, marital adjustment and burnout in pastoral and lay persons. Journal of Psychology and Theology, 12, 125-131.
Warren, Y. (2002). The cracked pot: The state of today’s Anglican parish clergy. Stowmarket: Kevin Mayhew Ltd.