Exploring the Relationship between Spiritual Well-being and Psychological Well-being among Novice Clergy and Senior Priests in Myanmar: A Basis of Development and Implementation of a Psycho-Spiritual Intervention Program

Abstract

The study explored the in-depth experiences of spiritual well-being and its role on psychological well-being among clergy towards development and implementation of a Psycho-Spiritual Intervention Program. In particular, the study looked into the lived-experiences of spiritual well-being through the quality of relationship that one has within each component of spiritual well-being and its role on psychological well-being among novice clergy and senior priests because novice clergy and senior priests are the most important stages in priestly life. There is a big difference between these two groups in terms of number of years in priestly life, year of ordination, age and occupation. In order to achieve breadth and depth in the understanding of this phenomenon, the researcher employed the explanatory sequential mixed-method design. A total of 271 clergy (135 novice clergy and 136 senior priests) completed questionnaires about spiritual well-being and psychological well-being, 10 novice clergy and 10 senior priests were then selected for in-depth interviews. The results of regression analyses showed that overall spiritual well-being is a significant predictor of psychological well-being among the clergy. Personal component of spiritual well-being alone and environmental component of spiritual well-being alone were significant predictors of psychological well-being among novice clergy and senior priests respectively. The interviews substantiated these results. It further revealed that transcendental and communal component of spiritual well-being still appear in the picture of the relationship between spiritual well-being and psychological well-being among the clergy. These components, however, were manifested in different ways among the novice clergy and the senior priests. The findings specifically showed that the experience of spiritual well-being within the personal component benefits personal growth, environmental control, self-acceptance, purpose in life and emotional stability among the novice clergy. The experience of spiritual well-being in environmental component, on the other hand, benefits peace of mind, self-acceptance and others-acceptance, increased ability of problem-solving skills, increased happiness and a better physical health among senior priests. The implications of the study for clergy, for counseling practice and for future research have discussed.