Assessed predictive power of 5 work-related stressors identified in clergy family literature on criterion variables of marital, parent, and life satisfaction among 272 clergy husbands and their wives from 6 denominations. Findings supported hypotheses that work-related stressors were inversely related to marital, parental, and life satisfaction…

Used Double ABCX model of family stress and adaptation to identify factors that are associated with successful adaptation to frequent involuntary relocation among 212 clergy families. Wives reported significantly higher stress, more negative perceptions of their most recent relocation, lower coping resources, and lower well-being that did clergy…

Since its introduction 30 years ago, family boundary ambiguity (BA) has been a widely used construct in family stress research and clinical intervention. In this article, we present a comprehensive and interdisciplinary review of published research studies that have used BA as a primary variable. Our review identified 37 studies investigating BA…

Reports on the results of the dissemination of an empirically based, premarital education program within religious organizations. Results reveal that clergy and lay leaders were as effective in the short run as university staff. Couples reported that the communication skills components of premarital education were the most helpful. (Contains 48…

Studies of clergy have emphasized the effects of stressors inherent to the profession and the impact of these on the minister's personal and family life. A model of family stress was employed to extend the focus to include three classes of variables: demands, social support, and perception. Results indicated that perception variables are more…

We present an evaluation of the extent to which an empirically based couples' intervention program was successfully disseminated in the community. Clergy and lay leaders from 27 religious organizations who were trained to deliver the Prevention and Relationship Enhancement Program (PREP) were contacted approximately yearly for 5 years following…

Community marriage initiatives (CMIs) are designed to strengthen marriage and increase marital stability by addressing relevant laws, policies, and cultural factors. We examined a specific CMI designed to lower divorce rates by establishing a shared public commitment among clergy to strengthen marriage. A mixed-effects general linear model was…

Authors submit that the model for dual relationships proposed by Hill and Mamalakis does not, in principle or practice, replace the concise, fairly unequivocal prohibition of dual relationships (DRs) set forth by the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy. The proposed model does not adequately protect clients, therapists, and…

The goal of the original article was to open constructive dialogue about risk factors to consider when evaluating potential dual relationships in religious community settings. The authors still aim to develop a model that supports therapists in the process of interpreting and applying the Association for Marriage and Family Therapy Code of Ethics…

Therapists involved with religious communities as leaders, employees, or community members face challenges in evaluating benefits and risks of dual relationships. Authors propose a three-level model of factors to use to evaluate risk: (a) professional ethics codes and legal guidelines, (b) theory of therapy, and (c) contextual variables and…