Self-Disclosure and Spiritual Well-Being in Pastors Seeking Professional Psychological Help

Dados Bibliográficos

ID10340271
AutoresErik D Salwen (Dallas Theological Seminary, autor correspondente), Lee A Underwood (Regent University), Gabriel S Dy-Liacco (Regent University), Kathleen R Arveson, Kathleen Arveson (Regent University)
Ano2017
Volume66
Fascículo4
Páginas505-521
Data de publicação2017-04-08
Peer ReviewedSim
Open AccessSim
TipoARTICLE
PeriódicoPastoral Psychology (JOURNAL)
Identificadores do periódicoISSN: 0031-2789 • E-ISSN: 1573-6679
EditoraSpringer Science+Business Media (PUBLISHER • DE)
DOI10.1007/s11089-017-0757-1
PMID28725088
OpenAlexW2605148799
IdiomaEN
Citações recebidas7
Referências citadas20

Pastoral mental health is a topic that has only rarely been researched empirically in the psychological literature, yet a pastor's mental health can have a significant impact on churches, communities, and even nations (Royal and Thompson, Journal of Psychology and Christianity, 31 (3), 195-204, 2012). One of the thoughts prompting this research is that evangelical pastors might be expected to resist the findings of psychological research and lack understanding of specific mental illnesses they are potentially facing. Combined with historical and cultural dynamics that could influence resistance to professional psychological help, evangelical pastors have personal, internal factors that could also strengthen resistance, including the researched issues of self-disclosure flexibility and spiritual well-being. A correlational research design with multivariate regression was used to determine potentially significant or predictive relationships between the relevant factors. Among evangelical seminary students ( N = 251) preparing for parish-based pastoral ministry, this research determined that no significant relationship, predictive or otherwise, existed between self-disclosure flexibility, spiritual well-being, and attitudes toward seeking professional psychological help. Implications include a shift in focus toward external factors influencing pastors' help-seeking attitudes, such as the need for the mental health community to develop connections with evangelical pastors and the development of more support for Christian mental health professionals in the larger evangelical community

Cross-cultural psychology · Flexibility (engineering · Mental health · Psychotherapist · Resistance (ecology · Contemporary Christian Leadership and Education · Grief, Bereavement, and Mental Health · Psychology · Religion, Spirituality, and Psychology · Social Psychology