Abstract
Purpose
The aim of the study was to determine the prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms among Norwegian priests and to examine their associations with effort–reward imbalance (ERI) and overcommitment.
Methods
Eight hundred four priests in the Norwegian Church completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Effort–Reward Imbalance Questionnaire (ERI-Q), and the Intrinsic Effort Scale, measuring overcommitment.
Results
A significant proportion of the priests (23.4%) had HADS scores indicating a possible anxiety problem. Somewhat fewer had depression problems (9.3%). Both anxiety and depression difficulties were associated with an imbalance between effort given and rewards received at work. Priests characterized by a combination of this imbalance and high scores on overcommitment had more anxiety and depression symptoms.
Conclusions
There is a higher occurrence of mental health challenges among priests than among the regular population. This applies in particular to anxiety symptoms measured by the HADS. These findings also indicate that it may be fruitful to explore mental health conditions among priests who report different combinations of effort–reward and overcommitment.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Bjelland I, Dahl AA, Haug TT, Neckelmann D (2002) The validity of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale: an updated literature review. J Psychosom Res 52:69–77
Bjelland I, Lie SA, Dahl AA, Mykletun A, Stordal E, Kraemer HC (2009) A dimensional versus a categorical approach to diagnosis: anxiety and depression in the HUNT 2 study. Int J Methods Psychiatr Res 18:128–137
Carroll JW (2006) God’s potters: Pastoral leadership and the shaping of congregations. William B. Eerdmans Pub, Grand Rapids
Doolittle BR (2007) Burnout and coping among parish-based clergy. Ment Health Relig Cult 10:31–38
Francis LJ, Louden SH, Rutledge CJ (2004) Burnout among Roman Catholic parochial clergy in England and Wales: myth or reality? Rev Relig Res 46:5–19
Grav S, Stordal E, Romild UK, Hellzen O (2012) The relationship among neuroticism, extraversion, and depression in the HUNT study: in relation to age and gender. Issues Ment Health Nurs 33:777–785
Jones SH, Francis LJ, Jackson C (2004) The relationship between religion and anxiety: a study among Anglican clergymen and clergywomen. J Psychol Theol 32:137–142
Joseph EN, Luyten P, Corveleyn J, De Witte H (2011) The relationship between personality, burnout, and engagement among the Indian clergy. Int J Psychol Relig 21(4):276–288
Knox S, Virginia SG, Lombardo JP (2002) Depression and anxiety in Roman Catholic secular clergy. Pastoral Psychol 50:345–358
Knox S, Virginia SG, Thull J, Lombardo JP (2005) Depression and contributors to vocational satisfaction in Roman Catholic secular clergy. Pastoral Psychol 54:139–153
Knox S, Virginia SG, Smith J (2007) Pilot study of psychopathology among Roman Catholic secular clergy. Pastoral Psychol 55:297–306
Kreiner GE, Hollensbe EC, Sheep ML (2006) Where is the “me” among the “we”? Identity work and the search for optimal balance. Acad Manage J 49:1031–1057
Kuhne GW, Donaldson JF (1995) Balancing ministry and management: an exploratory study of pastoral work activities. Rev Relig Res 37:147–163
Lau B (2008) Effort-reward imbalance and overcommitment in employees in a Norwegian municipality: a cross sectional study. J Occup Med Toxicol 3:9
Lee C, Iverson-Gilbert J (2003) Demand, support, and perception in family-related stress among Protestant clergy. Fam Relat 52:249–257
Montano D, Li J, Siegrist J (2016) The measurement of effort-reward imbalance (ERI) at work. In: Siegrist J, Wahrendorf M (eds) Work stress and health in a globalized economy. Springer, Heidelberg, pp 21–42
Morris ML, Blanton P (1998) Predictors of family functioning among clergy and spouses: influences of social context and perceptions of work-related stressors. J Child Fam Stud 7:27–41
Musson DJ (1998) The personality profile of male Anglican clergy in England: the 16PF. Pers Individ Dif 25:689–698
Nieuwenhuijsen K, Bruinvels D, Frings-Dresen M (2010) Psychosocial work environment and stress-related disorders, a systematic review. Occup Med 60:277–286
Proeschold-Bell RJ, Miles A, Toth M, Adams C, Smith BW, Toole D (2013) Using effort-reward imbalance theory to understand high rates of depression and anxiety among clergy. J Prim Prev 34:439–453
Proulx WA (2008) Depressive symptoms among members of the clergy serving on the New Mexico district of the Church of the Nazarene in the United States. ProQuest, Ann Arbor
Siegrist J (1996) Adverse health effects of high-effort/low-reward conditions. J Occup Health Psychol 1:27–41
Siegrist J (2008) Chronic psychosocial stress at work and risk of depression: evidence from prospective studies. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 258:115–119
Siegrist J, Li J (2016) Associations of extrinsic and intrinsic components of work stress with health: a systematic review of evidence on the effort-reward imbalance model. Int J Environ Res Public Health 13:432
Siegrist J, Starke D, Chandola T, Godin I, Marmot M, Niedhammer I, Peter R (2004) The measurement of effort–reward imbalance at work: European comparisons. Soc Sci Med 58:1483–1499
Stansfeld S, Candy B (2006) Psychosocial work environment and mental health—a meta-analytic review. Scand J Work Environ Health 32:443–462
Sterud T, Hem E, Ekeberg O, Lau B (2008) Health problems and help-seeking in a nationwide sample of operational Norwegian ambulance personnel. BMC Public Health 8:3
Stordal E, Bjartveit Kruger M, Dahl NH, Kruger O, Mykletun A, Dahl AA (2001) Depression in relation to age and gender in the general population: the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT). Acta Psychiatr Scand 104:210–216
Stordal E, Mykletun A, Dahl AA (2003) The association between age and depression in the general population: a multivariate examination. Acta Psychiatr Scand 107:132–141
Voltmer E, Rosta J, Siegrist J, Aasland OG (2012) Job stress and job satisfaction of physicians in private practice: comparison of German and Norwegian physicians. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 85(7):819–828
Wang PS, Berglund PA, Kessler RC (2003) Patterns and correlates of contacting clergy for mental disorders in the United States. Health Serv Res 38:647–673
Weaver AJ, Larson DB, Flannelly KJ, Stapleton CL, Koenig HG (2002) Mental health issues among clergy and other religious professionals: a review of research. J Pastor Care Counsel 56:393–403
Zigmond AS, Snaith RP (1983) The hospital anxiety and depression scale. Acta Psychiatr Scand 67:361–370
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
The author declares to have no conflict of interest.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Lau, B. Mental health among Norwegian priests: associations with effort–reward imbalance and overcommitment. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 91, 81–89 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-017-1256-5
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-017-1256-5