Clergy, chaplains and other spiritual leaders play vital roles of their communities, from celebrating life’s most joyous moments to offering comfort and guidance within the face of tragedy.
However, the non-public toll of this work on spiritual leaders could be immense, including burnout, trauma and health challenges – and sometimes goes unacknowledged.
There is growing attention to the stresses clergy have experienced amid the COVID-19 pandemic and increasing polarization. Chaplains, too, faced significant strain of their pivotal but often invisible role inside health care. There is concern over a possible “great resignation,” with greater than a 3rd of U.S. pastors fascinated about quitting.
But this isn’t a latest problem. Research shows significant mental health and occupational risks for spiritual leaders long before the pandemic. We are each psychology researchers who provide psychotherapy to spiritual leaders, teach seminarians and study their experiences.
Key risks
The experiences of clergy and chaplains who work in health care, education and other community settings are diverse, and a few of them are thriving. But for individuals who are struggling, several key risks stand out.
First, a way of “calling” to a vocation, which is usually central to spiritual leaders’ identities, could be a double-edged sword. Deep commitment to the meaning and moral duty of 1’s work can lead people in lots of careers to sacrifice pay and private time. Research amongst spiritual leaders highlights how difficult it will possibly be to set boundaries when their work is taken into account a spiritual and moral duty.
Second, their roles can include an amazing array of responsibilities, from fundraising, rituals and spiritual care to public communication and facilities management. In 2007, psychologist Richard DeShon analyzed pastors’ jobs for the United Methodist Church. He identified 13 foremost sorts of tasks, each of which involved long lists of specific responsibilities, and 64 crucial personal competencies needed to perform these tasks. DeShon concluded that he had “never encountered such a fast-paced job with such varied and impactful responsibilities.”
Third, Americans’ public trust and esteem for spiritual leaders has been plummeting in recent a long time. This could also be resulting from the decreasing percentage of individuals involved in religious congregations, in addition to sexual abuse scandals.
The prevalence of traumatic stress
Our research is revealing the extent to which spiritual leaders contend with extreme and traumatic levels of stress on the front lines of human suffering and conflict. This could also be particularly the case in congregations with fewer resources, or in settings akin to hospitals and correctional facilities, where chaplains often serve.
Many years back, considered one of us, Steve, consulted on a study examining spiritual leaders’ well-being. I used to be convinced there had been some kind of error when nearly one-third of the sample scored above the clinical cutoff for symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder – significantly higher than scores amongst military personnel after deployment. Ultimately, the religious group that commissioned the study was not comfortable publishing the outcomes.
Since then, our research team on the Danielsen Institute has replicated this finding in a sample of Muslim, Jewish and Christian leaders. Once again, we found nearly one-third scored above the clinical cutoff for PTSD symptoms related to work stressors. Clergy described aggression from congregants and direct exposure to extreme suffering, akin to being called to a house amid a domestic conflict or right after someone died by suicide.
Digging into the information
The majority of research so far has focused on what can go flawed for spiritual leaders. We know comparably little about what helps.
Our systematic literature review of 82 empirical studies found clear distinctions between aspects that increase risk, mitigate harm and enhance well-being. Yet the absence of particularly stressful experiences didn’t necessarily mean clergy and chaplains felt like they were thriving: Experiences of suffering and flourishing will not be mutually exclusive.
Individual aspects can actually contribute to the risks; for instance, female spiritual leaders are at higher risk of burnout and traumatic stress, as are leaders who feel their self-worth is linked to “success in ministry.” However, our findings revealed that congregational and denominational aspects are only as influential. Many spiritual leaders describe feeling on call 24/7, for instance, and experiencing overwhelming stress from community disagreements – sometimes involving threats to the leader’s financial security or personal safety. In contrast, feeling supported by one’s congregation could make a positive difference.
Perhaps most surprising, only 5% of the studies tackled the query of how you can help spiritual leaders who’re struggling. And little empirical focus has been given toward prevention: how you can proactively equip people being trained for these vocations.
Beyond self-care
During the COVID-19 pandemic, our team convened online support groups for chaplains. More than 250 professionals all over the world participated.
Some grappled with not being seen as “essential personnel.” Others took on unprecedented responsibilities, akin to attempting to be on the bedside of everyone who was dying and using technology to assist families feel present. Many were torn between their call to supply care and real fears about infection risk. This evoked painful existential and spiritual questions and even a way of ethical injury: guilt and inner turmoil about how you can navigate unimaginable situations.
In a bunch considered one of us – Laura – was leading, a member Zoomed in from her hospital bed and shared that she had contracted COVID-19. Her labored respiratory was evident, as was her passionate commitment to this work.
That day’s session was the last she attended, and she or he died the next week. Together, as we processed the tragic news and lit a candle to commemorate her, the group grieved the lack of considered one of its own.
These conversations revealed the ability of spiritual leaders having a confidential space to realize support and discuss the complexity of their work. Nearly three-quarters of the chaplains had considered leaving the sphere recently, yet 98% described their work as incredibly meaningful. As one person poignantly described it, “I like this work, however it’s killing me.”
Members used the space to assist one another process the existential, spiritual and moral toll of their work. After participating, they reported feeling less burned out, more resilient and having a greater sense of flourishing.
Our team has since developed and is evaluating CHRYSALIS, an eight-week online programme to support spiritual leaders’ well-being. We’re focused on helping leaders develop core strengths to thrive – beyond “self-care” – while also working to vary organizational structures which might be a setup for trauma and burnout.
Prevention and response
Our work is a component of a bigger conversation between scientists, faith leaders and folks who train and support clergy and chaplains.
For example, Common Table Collaborative fosters collaboration between researchers and people on the front lines. Initiatives akin to Flourishing in Ministry, Healthy Congregations and Chaplaincy Innovation Lab offer support for spiritual leaders. And there are training efforts to equip leaders in trauma-responsive care, akin to The Khalil Center’s Muslim Mental Health first-responder training programme.
All are exploring changes that can assist clergy and chaplains thrive and stay on the front lines of caring for communities.
Laura Captari, Clinical and Research Psychologist, The Danielsen Institute, Boston University and Steven Sandage, Professor of the Psychology of Religion and Theology, Boston University. This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.Â
