Journal of Religion and Health, Vol. 32, No. 2, Summer 1993
Coping with the Stress of Pastoral Counseling E. WAYNE HILL SHEILA BAILLIE A B S T R A C T : Using a stratified random sample of the three membership categories of the Amer-
ican Association of Pastoral Counselors, this study investigated the experience of stress, related to the pastoral counseling profession, among 143 pastoral counselors and 95 of their spouses. In addition, the study examined how pastoral counselors were coping with stress by evaluating selfreported functional and dysfunctional behaviors. The data indicated that pastoral counselors and their spouses did not report high levels of stress related to the pastoral counseling profession. However, significant differences were found by work setting and age for pastoral counselors regarding the level of stress experienced. The data also indicated that pastoral counselors reported using more functional stress reduction behaviors than dysfunctional stress reduction behaviors.
In recent years a number of studies have investigated the special stresses of the clergy from a variety of perspectives. Rayburn, Richmond, and Rogers found that ministers scored high in occupational and vocational stress but low in overall personal resources. 1 Warner and Carter found that pastors and their wives experienced significantly more loneliness and diminished marital adjustment in comparison with nonpastoral males and females. 2 Richmond, Rayburn, and Rogers concluded in their review of the literature on occupational stress in religious professionals, that being clergy and being married is a "risky business" for all spouses and particularly for nonclergy spouses2 They suggest that the problem is further confounded by a social desirability factor that causes many clergy persons not to admit to role overload, role insufficiency, and role strain. While these and other studies indicate the reality of stress among the clergy in general, the experience of stress among pastoral counselors in particular has not been adequately researched. Both Tieman 4 and KrieseP note the paucity of research on the personal and professional well-being of pastoral counselors. Since Hill, Baillie, and Walters 6 found that one of the deterE. Wayne Hill, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor in the College of Human Sciences, Department of Family, Child, and Consumer Sciences, at The Florida State University in Tallahassee. Sheila Baillie, Ph.D., is Associate Professor in the College of Human Sciences, Department of Family, Child, and Consumer Sciences, at The Florida State University in Tallahassee. 121
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minants of employment satisfaction for pastoral counselors was perception of job stress, data analysis that seeks to further an understanding of stress and stress management among pastoral counselors would be warranted. The purpose of the present study, therefore, was to investigate the experience of job-related stress among pastoral counselors and their spouses. In addition, this study sought to discover how pastoral counselors were coping with their experience of stress by evaluating self-reported functional and dysfunctional behaviors
Method Data collection and sample. A random sample was drawn from the national membership list of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors (AAPC). Since comparisons of work-related stress experiences and coping behaviors were to be made among the membership categories, a stratified random sample was used. One hundred names were selected randomly from each of the three membership categories, Members, Fellows, and Diplomates. At the time of data collection, the membership consisted of 1,086 Members, 481 Fellows, and 395 Diplomates. The data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. A cover letter and two return envelopes were mailed to the sample of pastoral counselors. Each subject received a detailed questionnaire for the counselor and a shorter questionnaire for the counselor's spouse, if married. Spouses were asked to complete and return their surveys separately to avoid influencing their spouses' responses. A follow-up postcard was mailed out 10 days after the first mailing. Job stress was measured by asking the pastoral counselors two questions: 1) How often do you find pastoral counseling to be stressful? 2) How often do you consider leaving pastoral counseling? The response categories for both questions were: a) Always, b) Frequently, c) Sometimes, d) Rarely, and e) Never. The experience of stress by the spouses of pastoral counselors was measured by asking the question: In general, how often do you think that your spouse's work as a pastoral counselor causes you stress/tension? The response categories were: a) Always, b) Frequently, c) Sometimes, d) Rarely, and e) Never. Functional stress reduction behaviors were assessed by asking the pastoral counselor to rate the stress reduction helpfulness of activities in which he or she was a regular participant (at least once per week). The activity categories listed were: a) Exercise, b) Support Group, c) Personal Therapy, d) Journal Keeping, e) Family/Couple Leisure Time, f) Meditation and Prayer, g) Hob-
E. Wayne Hill and Sheila Baillie
123
bies, h) Movies/TV, and i) Time with Friends. The response categories were: 1) Slightly Helpful, 2) Moderately Helpful, 3) Extremely Helpful, and (N/A) for inactive participation.
Dysfunctional stress reduction behaviors were measured by responses to the following questions: a) I overeat in order to cope with stress, b) I overuse alcohol to cope with my problems, c) I spend too much money when under stress, d) I become preoccupied with my work to avoid dealing with problems or pain. e) I am overly conscientious in my eating behaviors when under stress, f) I engage in sexual activity to relieve stress regardless of risk or consequences. The response categories were: 1) Never, 2) Rarely, 3) Sometimes, 4) Often, and 5) Always. Data analysis. The one-way analysis of variance procedure was used to determine if there were significant differences (p
Coping with the Stress of Pastoral Counseling E. WAYNE HILL SHEILA BAILLIE A B S T R A C T : Using a stratified random sample of the three membership categories of the Amer-
ican Association of Pastoral Counselors, this study investigated the experience of stress, related to the pastoral counseling profession, among 143 pastoral counselors and 95 of their spouses. In addition, the study examined how pastoral counselors were coping with stress by evaluating selfreported functional and dysfunctional behaviors. The data indicated that pastoral counselors and their spouses did not report high levels of stress related to the pastoral counseling profession. However, significant differences were found by work setting and age for pastoral counselors regarding the level of stress experienced. The data also indicated that pastoral counselors reported using more functional stress reduction behaviors than dysfunctional stress reduction behaviors.
In recent years a number of studies have investigated the special stresses of the clergy from a variety of perspectives. Rayburn, Richmond, and Rogers found that ministers scored high in occupational and vocational stress but low in overall personal resources. 1 Warner and Carter found that pastors and their wives experienced significantly more loneliness and diminished marital adjustment in comparison with nonpastoral males and females. 2 Richmond, Rayburn, and Rogers concluded in their review of the literature on occupational stress in religious professionals, that being clergy and being married is a "risky business" for all spouses and particularly for nonclergy spouses2 They suggest that the problem is further confounded by a social desirability factor that causes many clergy persons not to admit to role overload, role insufficiency, and role strain. While these and other studies indicate the reality of stress among the clergy in general, the experience of stress among pastoral counselors in particular has not been adequately researched. Both Tieman 4 and KrieseP note the paucity of research on the personal and professional well-being of pastoral counselors. Since Hill, Baillie, and Walters 6 found that one of the deterE. Wayne Hill, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor in the College of Human Sciences, Department of Family, Child, and Consumer Sciences, at The Florida State University in Tallahassee. Sheila Baillie, Ph.D., is Associate Professor in the College of Human Sciences, Department of Family, Child, and Consumer Sciences, at The Florida State University in Tallahassee. 121
9 1993InstitutesofReligionand Health
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Journal of Religion and Health
minants of employment satisfaction for pastoral counselors was perception of job stress, data analysis that seeks to further an understanding of stress and stress management among pastoral counselors would be warranted. The purpose of the present study, therefore, was to investigate the experience of job-related stress among pastoral counselors and their spouses. In addition, this study sought to discover how pastoral counselors were coping with their experience of stress by evaluating self-reported functional and dysfunctional behaviors
Method Data collection and sample. A random sample was drawn from the national membership list of the American Association of Pastoral Counselors (AAPC). Since comparisons of work-related stress experiences and coping behaviors were to be made among the membership categories, a stratified random sample was used. One hundred names were selected randomly from each of the three membership categories, Members, Fellows, and Diplomates. At the time of data collection, the membership consisted of 1,086 Members, 481 Fellows, and 395 Diplomates. The data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. A cover letter and two return envelopes were mailed to the sample of pastoral counselors. Each subject received a detailed questionnaire for the counselor and a shorter questionnaire for the counselor's spouse, if married. Spouses were asked to complete and return their surveys separately to avoid influencing their spouses' responses. A follow-up postcard was mailed out 10 days after the first mailing. Job stress was measured by asking the pastoral counselors two questions: 1) How often do you find pastoral counseling to be stressful? 2) How often do you consider leaving pastoral counseling? The response categories for both questions were: a) Always, b) Frequently, c) Sometimes, d) Rarely, and e) Never. The experience of stress by the spouses of pastoral counselors was measured by asking the question: In general, how often do you think that your spouse's work as a pastoral counselor causes you stress/tension? The response categories were: a) Always, b) Frequently, c) Sometimes, d) Rarely, and e) Never. Functional stress reduction behaviors were assessed by asking the pastoral counselor to rate the stress reduction helpfulness of activities in which he or she was a regular participant (at least once per week). The activity categories listed were: a) Exercise, b) Support Group, c) Personal Therapy, d) Journal Keeping, e) Family/Couple Leisure Time, f) Meditation and Prayer, g) Hob-
E. Wayne Hill and Sheila Baillie
123
bies, h) Movies/TV, and i) Time with Friends. The response categories were: 1) Slightly Helpful, 2) Moderately Helpful, 3) Extremely Helpful, and (N/A) for inactive participation.
Dysfunctional stress reduction behaviors were measured by responses to the following questions: a) I overeat in order to cope with stress, b) I overuse alcohol to cope with my problems, c) I spend too much money when under stress, d) I become preoccupied with my work to avoid dealing with problems or pain. e) I am overly conscientious in my eating behaviors when under stress, f) I engage in sexual activity to relieve stress regardless of risk or consequences. The response categories were: 1) Never, 2) Rarely, 3) Sometimes, 4) Often, and 5) Always. Data analysis. The one-way analysis of variance procedure was used to determine if there were significant differences (p
