Description

The Stressors of Clergy Children and Couples scale (SOCCC-19) is an assessment tool specifically designed to measure the unique stressors experienced by the children and spouses of clergy members. Given the unique challenges faced by clergy families, the SOCCC-19 provides a structured way to assess stress across multiple dimensions, including family dynamics, community expectations, and work-life balance.

Development of the Scale

The scale consists of 19 items, each aimed at assessing specific stress factors related to living in a clergy household. It was developed through empirical research, often involving interviews with clergy families and surveys, to capture the common challenges they face. These challenges include the demands of pastoral life, community scrutiny, role conflicts, and the high expectations placed on clergy family members.

Dimensions of SOCCC-19

The SOCCC-19 typically measures stressors across several dimensions:
Family dynamics: Conflicts or strains within the family due to the unique role of the clergy member.
Community pressure: Expectations from the congregation or religious community that affect personal life.
Work-life balance: The challenge of balancing professional ministry obligations with family needs.
Privacy invasion: The lack of personal boundaries in clergy families’ lives due to the visibility of their role.
Spiritual pressure: Stress related to living up to religious or moral standards set by the community.
Each item on the scale is rated by respondents (spouses and children of clergy members), and their responses provide insights into the levels of stress experienced.

Scoring and Interpretation

SOCCC-19 uses a Likert-scale format, where respondents rate the frequency or intensity of the stress they experience in relation to each item. The scores are typically aggregated to give a total stress score, as well as subscale scores for each of the dimensions mentioned above. Higher scores indicate higher levels of stress experienced by the clergy family members.
Low stress (0-30): Indicates that the individual is experiencing minimal stress from their role in a clergy family.
Moderate stress (31-60): Suggests that there are stressors present, but they may not yet be overwhelming.
High stress (61-95): Indicates significant stress, potentially impacting the well-being of the clergy family member.
Use of the SOCCC-19:
The scale is widely used in both research and clinical settings. It is particularly useful for:
Research purposes: Understanding how the clergy profession affects family life.
Counseling and therapy: Providing insight for professionals who work with clergy families, helping to identify areas of stress and potential intervention strategies.
Program development: Churches and religious organizations may use the scale to create support programs for clergy families to help mitigate these stressors.
Target Population:
The SOCCC-19 is primarily used with two groups:
Children of clergy: These individuals often face unique social and emotional challenges related to their parent’s role in the church.
Spouses of clergy: The spouse of a clergy member may also experience high levels of stress due to the demands of the pastoral profession.

Objectives

The main objectives of the SOCCC-19 scale are:
Assessing the Unique Stressors of Clergy Families: To systematically measure the stress levels experienced by the children and spouses of clergy members, considering the distinct challenges they face.
Providing Insights for Intervention: To identify areas where clergy families may need additional support, allowing for tailored counseling or organizational intervention.
Research Tool: To serve as a standardized instrument for researchers studying the intersection of family life and religious vocational stress.
Promoting Mental Health: To highlight the mental health challenges clergy families face, encouraging proactive efforts in religious communities to address these stressors.

Calibration of the SOCCC-19 Scale

Calibration of the SOCCC-19 is essential for ensuring its reliability and validity in different populations and settings. This process involves the following steps:
Reliability Testing: Ensuring the scale consistently measures stress levels across different respondents and time periods. Cronbach’s alpha is typically used to assess internal consistency.
Validity Testing: Confirming that the scale accurately measures the specific stressors it aims to assess. This can be done through:
Construct validity: Comparing SOCCC-19 results with other validated stress or mental health scales.
Face validity: Ensuring the items are understandable and relevant to the target population.
Norming: Collecting data from a wide sample of clergy families to establish normative data, providing benchmarks for comparison.
Cultural Sensitivity: Given that religious traditions and clergy roles can vary significantly across cultures, calibration should account for these differences to ensure the scale remains relevant in diverse contexts.

Bibliography

Fowler, J. W. (1981). Stages of Faith: The Psychology of Human Development and the Quest for Meaning. Harper & Row.
Discusses the role of faith development in individuals and families, providing foundational insights into the experiences of clergy families.
Hill, P. C., & Pargament, K. I. (2003). Advances in the conceptualization and measurement of religion and spirituality: Implications for physical and mental health research. American Psychologist, 58(1), 64-74.
Provides important background on how religious roles impact mental health, supporting the rationale behind scales like SOCCC-19.
Wells, T. D. (2017). Stress and Clergy: The Impact of Pastoral Ministry on Mental Health. Journal of Religion and Health, 56(3), 1016-1032.
A critical study exploring the mental health implications of being in a clergy family.
Lee, C. J., & Iverson-Gilbert, J. (2003). Demand, support, and perception in family-related stress among Protestant clergy. Family Relations, 52(3), 249-257.
Focuses on how the unique demands of clergy life affect family stress levels, helping to justify the need for tools like SOCCC-19.
Frame, M. W., & Shehan, C. L. (1994). Work and Well-Being in the Two-Person Career: Relocation Stress and the Clergy Spouse. Family Relations, 43(2), 196-205.
Examines the specific stressors clergy spouses face, contributing to the development of SOCCC-19.