Pastoral care and mental illness: A quantitative study to explore the competencies of Protestant pastors in Germany to support people who have a mental illness

Abstract

Abstract Introduction For the everyday work of pastors, it is relevant to have sufficient knowledge and confidence in dealing with mental illness, which can also be described as Mental Health Literacy (MHL). Method This study examines the current situation of pastoral care with people who have a mental illness in Germany through an online survey. In particular, the MHL of the pastoral caregivers, as well as self-efficacy (SE), willingness to recommend psychotherapeutic help and intensity of networking as further influencing constructs will be taken into account. Results About 26 % of all pastoral care contacts were with people who have a mental illness. Those pastors working outside the parish showed a higher amount of contacts. Personal and professional factors rarely had an impact on the MHL, which was higher on average than in the general population. Furthermore, the study showed significant associations between two MHL aspects (attitude and recognition), willingness to recommend psychotherapeutic help, SE and intensity of networking. The intensity of networking was only predicted by SE. Discussion The results highlight that pastoral contacts with people who have a mental illness occur frequently and show that pastoral caregivers already have a certain level of MHL. The results indicate that, in addition to imparting knowledge, future training should place special emphasis on promoting positive attitudes towards psychotherapy and on encouraging SE.