| This study used a 125-item mailed survey to investigate clergy burnout. The survey, which consisted of a modified version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI, 1996), the Big Five Inventory, and additional original scales, collected data concerning the prevalence, vulnerability, and resistance to professional burnout among active Presbyterian clergy (PCUSA) members of six Presbyteries in Southwestern Pennsylvania. The study asked whether personal characteristics of ministers (e.g., personality type, age, gender, religious attitudes, social support, coping habits), or specific types of ministry situations, or a combination of the two, best predict which ministers score high on burnout and other "unhappiness" measures such as depression and desire to leave the ministry. The study also tested the hypothesis that role dysfunction concerning or inadequate preparation for pastoral care and counseling explain a significant portion of variability in ministers' burnout levels.; Of 320 survey packets mailed out, 114 usable responses were returned. Burnout prevalence among survey respondents was found to be significantly lower than among a national sample of over 11,000 respondents from a variety of different occupations across the United States reported in the MBI manual. Hierarchical regression analysis showed that in comparison to situational factors, ministers' personality factors explained more variability in a composite burnout variable and in additional measures of burnout dimensions. However certain situational factors (congregation size, congregation growth, congregation age, congregation trouble history), and the way certain ministers' personalities fit certain situations, were also significant.; Factors related to pastoral care also significantly predicted variance in ministerial burnout scores. In particular, ambiguity in and mismatched expectations of the pastoral role, including boundary issues and overall pastoral workload, were important predictors of burnout variability. This study indicates that further research into personality measures and pastoral role "fit" indicators may help clergy, congregations, denominational officials, and mental health professionals find tools to prevent, screen for, and alleviate burnout in professional clergy and clergy candidates. |
