Baptist senior pastors’ knowledge and perceptions of mental illness

Senior pastors at churches affiliated with the Baptist General Convention of Texas (BGCT) were anonymously surveyed using an online questionnaire to ascertain their knowledge and perceptions of the causes and potential treatments of mental illness. BGCT senior pastors reported a moderate level of contact with the mentally ill and populations known to have higher than average rates of mental illness (e.g., homeless). They also reported that the individuals with whom they counsel are rarely diagnosed with mental illness. While Baptist senior pastors embraced biological causes and treatments for mental illness as most important and effective, they varied greatly across disorders as to the perceived contribution of psychosocial and spiritual factors. Senior pastors in the present study reported being open to referring their congregants to mental health care professionals with whom they shared common values. Overall, the results of the study point to a need for greater mental health education for Baptist clergy as well as opportunities for the development of increased collaboration between the mental health and faith communities.     

“The Lord is my Shepherd”: examining spirituality as a protection against mental health problems in youth exposed to violence in Brazil

Intrinsic and institutional spirituality or religiosity may each provide unique protective effects against the negative impacts of stress on mental health. Whether this extends to adolescents exposed to high levels of community violence is unknown. Three hundred twenty-five incarcerated adolescents from São Paulo City, Brazil responded to questions about spirituality and violence exposure drawn from the Social and Health Assessment, and mental health problems drawn from the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire. There was some evidence that intrinsic and institutional spirituality/religiosity may buffer the relation between violence exposure and certain mental health problems, and that intrinsic spirituality may mediate the relationship between institutional activities and certain mental well-being outcomes. These findings extend a degree of support to the multi-dimensional nature of spirituality to high-risk youth populations, suggesting a small differential and interactive role that intrinsic and institutional spirituality may play in protecting against some mental health problems.