Psychological and spiritual predictors of domains of functioning and effectiveness of short-term missionaries
The present study investigated the psychological and spiritual predictors of short-term missionary performance and psychological adjustment using object relations theory as a theoretical framework. In particular, this study examined how psychopathology, current object relations, and spiritual development related to missionary performance, as measured by self-report and supervisor-report ratings of effectiveness, and psychological distress, as measured by the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI). It was hypothesized that: (a) psychopathology as measured by 11 scales from the MMPI-2 would relate to missionary performance and psychological distress; (b) current object relations as measured by the Attachment and Object Relations Inventory (AORI) would relate to missionary performance and psychological distress; (c) spiritual development as measured by the Spiritual Assessment Inventory (SAI) would relate to missionary performance and psychological distress; and (d) the AORI and SAI would have incremental validity over and above the MMPI-2 in predicting missionary performance and psychological distress. Forty short-term missionaries completed questionnaires measuring psychopathology, current object relations, and spiritual development before going overseas. Participants and their supervisors completed questionnaires assessing performance and psychological distress at the end of their mission trips. Principle components analyses of the performance ratings revealed three self-report performance factors and four supervisor-report performance factors. Zero-order correlations showed that having greater psychological symptomatology (MMPI-2 scale F), greater conflict with authority (MMPI-2 scale 4), more social alienation (MMPI-2 scale Pd4), less satisfying relationships with peers (AORI Peers subscale), overly dependent relationships (AORI Independent subscale), and greater disappointment and instability in relationship with God (SAI Disappointment and Instability subscales) were related to less effective performance. Partial correlations showed that having greater psychological symptomatology (MMPI-2 scale F) was related to increased psychological distress on the mission field. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses revealed that the AORI and SAI had incremental validity over and above the MMPI-2 for five of the performance factors, but the MMPI-2 was generally the best predictor of missionary performance and psychological distress. It was concluded that short-term missionaries' levels of psychopathology, object relations development, and spiritual development influence their effectiveness and psychological adjustment on the mission field. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2007 APA, all rights reserved)
https://www.upress.umn.edu/test-division/bibliography/2000-2009/2005/barnett_psychological_2005
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Keri L Barnett
(2005)
Psychological and spiritual predictors of domains of functioning and effectiveness of short-term missionaries
PhD thesis.