Spirituality of Professional Pastoral Caregivers during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Distress, Resources, and Consequences

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has had an enormous impact on mental health in general and on care professionals in particular. Studies have shown that professional pastoral caregivers are challenged concerning stabilizing their mental health and coping with stress experiences. Spirituality, on the other hand, has been considered as a helpful coping resource. This study examines professional pastoral caregivers in various contexts of hospitals, congregations, old people's homes or schools during the second lockdown in Germany. Results show the importance of spirituality as a resource, with an overall high centrality of religiosity, high daily spiritual experience and low spiritual dryness, but also reveal various stress factors with which pastoral caregivers have to deal. However, associations between work-related distress, spiritual dryness, centrality of religiosity and spiritual experience are displayed and discussed. Spiritual dryness correlates positively with work-related distress, whereas daily spiritual experience and centrality of religiosity correlates negatively. Possibilities of further support for those offering pastoral care during the pandemic and beyond are presented.