Elizabeth G. Ruffing, Chance A. Bell, Steven J. Sandage
{"title":"PTSD symptoms in religious leaders: Prevalence, stressors, and associations with narcissism","authors":"Elizabeth G. Ruffing, Chance A. Bell, Steven J. Sandage","doi":"10.1177/0084672420926261","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"Religious leaders face numerous mental health challenges, and prior research suggests that some experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to work-related experiences. This study employed a diverse sample of 274 religious leaders to (a) qualitatively describe the types of work-related experiences they identify as particularly stressful or overwhelming, (b) assess the prevalence of PTSD symptoms associated with these experiences, and (c) test hypothesized associations between PTSD symptoms and narcissism. The study found that the stressful experiences reported typically involved relational conflict, having limited resources, or caring for people suffering. Over half of the sample endorsed symptoms that were above the cutoff for a clinical concern for PTSD, and PTSD symptoms were significantly associated with symptoms of both vulnerable narcissism and grandiose narcissism. Practical implications for the ongoing formation and support of religious leaders are discussed.","PeriodicalId":44899,"journal":{"name":"Archive for the Psychology of Religion-Archiv Fur Religionspsychologie","volume":"46 1","pages":"21 - 40"},"PeriodicalIF":0.8000,"publicationDate":"2020-06-19","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"4","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Archive for the Psychology of Religion-Archiv Fur Religionspsychologie","FirstCategoryId":"102","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/0084672420926261","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"哲学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"PSYCHOLOGY, MULTIDISCIPLINARY","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 4
Abstract
Religious leaders face numerous mental health challenges, and prior research suggests that some experience symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to work-related experiences. This study employed a diverse sample of 274 religious leaders to (a) qualitatively describe the types of work-related experiences they identify as particularly stressful or overwhelming, (b) assess the prevalence of PTSD symptoms associated with these experiences, and (c) test hypothesized associations between PTSD symptoms and narcissism. The study found that the stressful experiences reported typically involved relational conflict, having limited resources, or caring for people suffering. Over half of the sample endorsed symptoms that were above the cutoff for a clinical concern for PTSD, and PTSD symptoms were significantly associated with symptoms of both vulnerable narcissism and grandiose narcissism. Practical implications for the ongoing formation and support of religious leaders are discussed.
期刊介绍:
The international, peer-reviewed journal Archive for the Psychology of Religion/Archiv für Religionspsychologie is the oldest periodical that publishes research in the psychology of religion. It is the organ of the International Association for the Psychology of Religion (IAPR), founded in 1914. The Archive for the Psychology of Religion/Archiv für Religionspsychologie is open to all scientific methodologies, both quantitative and qualitative.