Adolescent mental health: the role of youth and college pastors

The present study investigates the gatekeeping role of youth and college pastors, specifically exploring their psychological training, perceptions, attitudes, and interactions concerning adolescent congregants' mental illness. Texas youth and college pastors were anonymously surveyed regarding...

Full description

Saved in:  
Bibliographic Details
Authors: Hunter, William (Author) ; Stanford, Matthew (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
Check availability: HBZ Gateway
Journals Online & Print:
Drawer...
Fernleihe:Fernleihe für die Fachinformationsdienste
Published: Taylor & Francis 2014
In: Mental health, religion & culture
Year: 2014, Volume: 17, Issue: 10, Pages: 957-966
Further subjects:B college pastor / youth
B Referral
B Collaboration
B Adolescents
Online Access: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
Description
Summary:The present study investigates the gatekeeping role of youth and college pastors, specifically exploring their psychological training, perceptions, attitudes, and interactions concerning adolescent congregants' mental illness. Texas youth and college pastors were anonymously surveyed regarding referral patterns, mental health interventions and contact, adolescent mental health perceptions, and means of collaboration. While the sample reported actively working with numerous adolescent mental health issues, the majority did not feel qualified to work with significant psychopathology. Despite this, they reported using various intervention methods, with the most common being initial counselling followed by a referral. Although the sample frequently referred to other professionals, they described many perceived barriers in collaborating with others in the mental health field. Overall, a positive role exists for youth and college pastors in adolescent mental health; however, tensions and conflicts between pastors and mental health professionals hinder the usefulness of these unique gatekeepers. Implications and recommendations for mental health professionals are highlighted.
ISSN:1469-9737
Contains:Enthalten in: Mental health, religion & culture
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/13674676.2014.966663