An Empirical Study of the Pastoral Mental Health Involvement Model

Abstract

This study investigates the utility of a conceptual model—the Pastoral Mental Health Involvement Model—in understanding and predicting pastoral mental health activities (counseling, referral, and consultation). This model, based on previous research findings and logical speculations, includes four sets of external factors (church organization, church membership status, types and severity of presenting problems) and three sets of internal factors (clergy's attitudes, mental health skills and knowledge, and demographic variables). Data were collected from 231 clergy of the United Methodist Baltimore Conference in 1984. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses in terms of sets were performed. The results partially validated a multi-factorial interactional model in understanding and predicting pastoral mental health involvement with the external inputs, that is, church membership status and presenting problems being the most significant predictors.