title: Professional Quality of Life and Changes in Spirituality Among VHA Chaplains: A Mixed Methods Investigation.
abstract: A mixed method design was implemented to examine the spirituality and emotional well-being of Veterans Health Administration (VHA) chaplains and how potential changes in spirituality and emotional well-being may affect their professional quality of life. Four distinct categories of changes emerged from the narrative statements of a nationally representative sample of 267 VHA chaplains: (1) positive changes (e.g., increased empathy), (2) negative changes (e.g., dysthymic mood, questioning religious beliefs), (3) combination of positive and negative changes, and (4) no change (e.g., sustenance through spirituality or self-care). Most chaplains reported positive (37%) or no change (30%) in their spirituality and/or emotional well-being. However, quantitative analyses revealed that chaplains who reported negative changes endorsed greater burnout and secondary traumatic stress. Overall, these findings suggest VHA chaplains are predominantly spiritually resilient, but negative changes in the spiritual domain can occur, potentially increasing the risk of adverse changes in professional quality of life.
authors.affiliation: a Psychology Department , University of South Alabama , Mobile , Alabama , USA.
authors.forename: Wesley H
authors.initials: WH
authors.lastname: McCormick
authors.affiliation: a Psychology Department , University of South Alabama , Mobile , Alabama , USA.
authors.forename: Timothy D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Carroll
authors.affiliation: a Psychology Department , University of South Alabama , Mobile , Alabama , USA.
authors.forename: Brett A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Slagel
authors.affiliation: b National Center for PTSD, Palo Alto VA Healthcare System, Dissemination and Training Division , Menlo Park , California , USA.
authors.forename: Kent D
authors.initials: KD
authors.lastname: Drescher
authors.affiliation: c Mental Health and Chaplaincy Program, Department of Veterans Affairs, Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research , Education and Clinical Center , Durham , North Carolina , USA.|d Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences , Duke University Medical School , Durham , North Carolina , USA.
authors.forename: Jason A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Nieuwsma
authors.affiliation: a Psychology Department , University of South Alabama , Mobile , Alabama , USA.
authors.forename: Joseph M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Currier
mesh_terms: D002055:Burnout, Professional; D002977:Clergy / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000068376:Compassion Fatigue; D004645:Empathy; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D055500:Resilience, Psychological; D029181:Spirituality; D014481:United States; D014493:United States Department of Veterans Affairs
keywords: burnout; compassion fatigue; compassion satisfaction; moral injury; secondary traumatic stress