Pastoral Psychology最新文献

Using an interdisciplinary, empirical perspective, the study explored Orthodox Christians’ perceptions of self-love and its relationship to love of neighbour, love of God and self-sacrifice. Three scales with good reliability were designed and used with 153 Orthodox Christian adults. The main results obtained are as follows: Orthodox Christians have positive perceptions of self-love – they do not see it as a passion or sin as it is described in Christian ascetic literature; they appreciate the importance and benefits of self-love when they perceive it as a separate reality from the love of neighbour and the love of God; some of them have negative or unclear perceptions on the relationship between self-love, love of neighbour and love of God. In this last respect the empirical results of the study contradict important philosophical and theological views. In the study, less than one-quarter of the Orthodox Christians scored high in practising healthy self-love and agreed that self-love can coexist with self-sacrifice in a certain dose or balance. The clinical and pastoral implications of the findings are discussed, and practical suggestions for intervention are proposed.

Chaplains can play a unique role in providing care for trans and gender-diverse (TGD) people by addressing their spiritual needs. However, spiritual care for TGD individuals may fail to be inclusive in at least three ways: spiritual care may focus solely on religious TGD people, on a limited part of the whole range of gender identities, or on a specific route toward gender affirmation. In this article, the aim is to develop an inclusive perspective on spiritual care for TGD people. To that end, inspired by work by Susan Sontag, we examine spiritual care for TGD individuals through the philosophical lens of social imaginaries, focussing particularly on metaphors, tracing how metaphors used in care for TGD people have changed over time. We elaborate on the potential of the metaphor of “orientation in gender-expansive space,” based on queer theory and literature about worldview-inclusive chaplaincy, for envisioning an inclusive approach to gender-affirming spiritual care.

Mothers of children on the autism spectrum cope with numerous difficulties associated with raising a child with a complex disability. Religious belief is perceived as a resource for coping with the difficulty. This study examined the uniqueness of the perception of motherhood among Israeli national-religious and Haredi mothers of children on the autism spectrum ages 10–19 with various levels of function, using 12 semistructured interviews which were analyzed by a full content analysis according to grounded theory. The interviews revealed that the mothers perceived their motherhood as an ongoing process that is accompanied by a journey of self-awareness. The transition from feelings of helplessness, frustration, and guilt to feelings of growth and development from the crisis, as well as movement from total motherhood and attentive motherhood, reflect this process. A dichotomous distinction of motherhood emerged between how the participants related to other mothers of children on the autism spectrum and to mothers of typically developing children. The religious beliefs expressed by the participants touched on coming to terms with reality, belief as an anchor, belief that life invites inner progress, belief in future reward, and belief that their situation is a test from God or, alternatively, a punishment from God. The study contributes to knowledge of perceptions of motherhood by mothers of children on the autism spectrum, unique to national-religious and Haredi mothers in Israel.

Although the Autism Spectrum Quotient (AQ10) was originally designed to identify referrals for professional diagnosis for autism spectrum disorders (ASD), recent studies suggest that this instrument may also be tapping more generalised affective disorders. Working with this revised interpretation and a slightly revised measure (dropping one item), this study examines the predictive power of the AQ10 to account for additional variance, after personal and personality factors have been taken into account, on the two scales of the Francis Burnout Inventory. Data provided by 388 Anglican curates serving in their second year of ministry in the Church of England or the Church in Wales demonstrated that 3.8% of the participants recorded six or more red flags on the AQ10 (and so qualified for referral for specialist diagnostic assessment) and that higher scores on the revised AQ10 are associated with significantly lower levels of satisfaction in ministry and with significantly higher levels of emotional exhaustion in ministry. These data suggest that screening with the AQ10 may be helpful in identifying clergy vulnerable to professional burnout and to poor work-related psychological wellbeing, as well as identifying qualification for referral for specialist diagnostic assessment.

This article discusses the special challenges and needs of North American immigrants with chronic diseases and the role of immigrant churches in serving them. These special challenges and needs are identified as (1) medical delivery, (2) legal, (3) financial, (4) cultural, (5) social support and activities of daily living (ADL), and (6) spiritual. A framework to support the needs of congregants with chronic diseases is discussed. This framework consists of (1) ADL support, (2) informational support, and (3) spiritual support. The article delves into the involvement of immigrant churches in catering to this demographic. First, it explores the theological foundation for a caring ministry. Subsequently, it presents a model with action items for such a ministry, outlining how immigrant churches can effectively assist individuals with chronic illnesses. Emphasis is placed on providing spiritual guidance to meet their unique needs.

Catholic sisters play a vital role in the formation and management of social enterprises, charities and philanthropic establishments such as those in religious, educational and healthcare sectors. As devoted individuals committed to serving others whilst remaining faithful to their religious vocation, their health and well-being are critical factors in their ability to fulfil their mission effectively. However, their health and well-being are often on the line as they dedicate themselves to serving others. This could be due to factors such as their vocational calling, their context and the nature of their work. The current study addresses the health and well-being of Catholic sisters operating in three African countries: Kenya, Uganda and Zambia. The study utilised primary data gathered from interviews with Catholic sisters and their superiors (leaders). Data was analysed using thematic analysis and cross-case comparison of views from a carefully selected sample of 11 sisters who were interviewed virtually. Based on the discussions with the respondents, three themes emerged: self-sacrifice and the forgotten self, immense workload and feeling overwhelmed, and the need for time for introspection and focusing on one’s hobbies. The study provides useful implications on how religious sisters can be supported to realise their religious vocation while supporting the social establishments they run. This is perhaps the first study to focus on the health and well-being of women religious involved in social enterprises, especially in the African context.

While there are sociological trends and commonalities among emerging adults, today’s generation of emerging adults is a remarkably diverse cohort of individuals who are individualized to value authenticity. Effective pastoral care for emerging adults requires recognizing and addressing their individual differences rather than only relying on universal assumptions or stereotypes. I propose that ministry leaders can significantly enhance their pastoral care by drawing from three tenets of Carl Rogers’s person-centered therapy: embracing empathy as a cornerstone, valuing the intrinsic worth of each individual beyond external norms, and fostering vulnerability and honesty within every relational context. This approach acknowledges the unique experiences and perspectives of emerging adults and cultivates a more meaningful and impactful form of pastoral support that resonates with their values and needs.

Anxiety about death is a complex phenomenon, shaped by social, cultural, and religious factors. Death anxiety has been exhaustively studied; however, few studies have explored this relationship among followers of various religions in a singular cultural context. The current study provides an opportunity to address this gap with Christians and Muslims of Pakistan, not only by assessing the role of religious beliefs in these religious groups but also by ascertaining their death anxiety in relation to psychosocial illness and fear of aging. A convenience sample of 202 Muslims and 222 Christians (N = 424) completed four scales: the Psychoreligious Beliefs Scale, Sukoon Psychosocial Illness Scale, Brief Fear of Aging Scale, and Death Anxiety Scale. Our findings revealed that levels of death anxiety were significantly higher in Muslims than in Christians. Death anxiety was predicted by psychoreligious beliefs and fear of aging among both Christians and Muslims but not by psychological illness. We conclude that religious orientation and fear of aging contribute to increasing death anxiety. The paper discusses the role of imams and pastors in addressing issues pertaining to death and death anxiety with their Muslim and Christian followers.

Spiritual needs are crucial for the personality development and behavior of prisoners in correctional institutions. The spiritual ministry provided to residents of correctional institutions is expected to have a positive impact. This research aimed to explore the impact of spiritual ministry on Catholic prisoners in several locations. The study was conducted in four correctional institutions in West Kalimantan Province, and the participants were 3 female prisoners, 10 male prisoners, and 2 religious instructors. Data was collected through open interviews and then analyzed. The findings indicate that spiritual ministries significantly impact prisoners. However, prisoners felt that the Church did not provide sufficient support, especially regarding professional religious instructors. Spiritual ministry often consisted of monotonous word ministries, usually without the presence of a priest. Based on the results of this research, the Church needs to be more tangibly present by preparing and accompanying spiritual ministries, assigning priests to serve prisoners, offering job training for released prisoners, providing legal assistance, and educating young people about the effects of drugs and sex.

In the United States, clergy members are at higher risk for mental health distress than the general population. To support early intervention, understanding factors associated with depression status is vital. This study seeks to examine factors associated with mild and moderate depression using the patient health questionnaire depression scale (PHQ) in Christian clergy members from the United States (N = 186). Using logistic regression procedures and Ferguson’s (Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 40(5), 532–538, 2009) criteria for practical significance, younger age (Exp(B) = 0.956, 95% C·I = 0.072–0.016, p = 0.002), history of family therapy (Exp(B) = 0.119, 95% C·I = 0.986–0.008, p = 0.049), and psychiatric medications (Exp(B) = 3.050, 95% C·I = 1.407–6.611, p = 0.005) increased the odds of clergy members being classified in the mild depression group. Additionally, logistic regression procedures indicated that younger age (B = −0.045, Exp(B) = 0.96, 95% C·I = 0.92–0.97, p = 0.03), previous individual therapy (B = 1.66, Exp(B) = 5.28, 95% C·I = 1.36–20.44, p = 0.02), suburban (B = 1.66, Exp(B) = 5.28, 95% C·I = 1.36–20.44, p = 0.02), and rural status (B = 2.36, Exp(B) = 10.63, 95% C·I = 1.99–56.92, p = 0.006) increased the odds of being classified in the moderate depression group. Implications are discussed for researchers, clergy members, and faith tradition leaders.