Date of Conferral

2021

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Psychology

Advisor

Silvia Bigatti

Abstract

Research suggests that the clergy could be at the risk of developing secondary traumatic stress (STS) because of their secondary exposure to trauma within pastoral work; however, there has been no explicit discussion of STS related to Catholic priests who may be more at the risk of developing STS than their counterparts in other churches. The requirement of priestly celibacy often leaves Catholic priests with little to no immediate social and emotional support network of family. Because of their sacred vow to keep the confessional seal unbroken in whatever circumstance, Catholic priests also may not share confessional information, even when the content of such information may be harmful to their mental well-being. Thus, in this qualitative, phenomenological study, the lived experience of STS among Catholic priests was explored. A purposeful sampling method was used to recruit 10 Catholic priests to participate in the study. Data were collected through semistructured interviews. Data analysis followed the transcendental, phenomenological analytic procedures and involved using the MAXQDA 2020 software to aid the coding process. The findings suggested that priests experience STS. Five core themes and 13 subthemes emerged from data analysis, including elements of secondary traumatization and self-care strategies. The findings were validated with rich, thick descriptions and the use of audit trails, reflexive journaling, member checking, and peer review. The findings could lead to positive social change because priests may become better aware of the risk of developing STS and how to prevent or manage the experience. The findings suggest the need for priests to have some training in mental health and that such training could lead to improved pastoral care for traumatized people.

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