Stressors of Clergy Children and Couples scale (SOCC-C)

Abstract

The Stressors of Clergy Children and Couples scale (SOCC-C) is a specialized 19-item psychological scale developed by Ostrander, Ceglian, and Fournier (1993). Its primary function is to quantify the unique occupational and social stressors experienced by the family members—specifically children and spouses—of ordained clergy. The instrument moves beyond general stress measurement by focusing on role-related conflicts that emerge from the high intersection of public ministry demands and private family life. Key areas of assessment include the loss of privacy, high societal expectations, and feelings of isolation, providing a structured framework for researchers and clinicians to understand the adaptive challenges inherent to ministerial families.

Keywords

Stressors, clergy families, psychological measurement, role conflict, family adaptation, social expectations, family isolation, ministry demands, occupational stress, psychometrics

Authors

D. L. Ostrander, C. P. Ceglian, D. G. Fournier

Purpose

The SOCC-C scale serves the critical purpose of quantifying and categorizing the specific sources of chronic stress that uniquely burden the families of ministers. Traditional stress measures often fail to capture the vocation-specific demands inherent in ministry, which include the constant lack of privacy, the burden of maintaining impeccable public behavior, and the frequent emotional or physical unavailability of the minister due to professional obligations.

By defining and measuring these specific stressors, the SOCC-C is an essential diagnostic tool. It helps practitioners identify areas where ministerial families require enhanced support, counseling, or therapeutic intervention. Furthermore, the instrument was initially conceptualized to predict levels of family adaptation and illuminate how these families mobilize resources and coping mechanisms when facing these unique occupational pressures, making it invaluable for research in the sociology of religion and family psychology.

Construct

The core psychological construct measured by the SOCC-C is role-related stress within the context of the ministerial family. This construct acknowledges that the professional role of the clergy member directly disrupts and constrains typical family functioning. The 19 items operationalize this construct by assessing the severity of constraints and conflicts arising from the public nature of the occupation.

Factor analysis confirmed that this construct is structured around three distinct, yet interlinked, underlying dimensions: Family’s Public Life, Expectations, and Family Isolation. This structure ensures that the measurement captures both external pressures (e.g., community judgment and criticism) and internal family dynamics (e.g., the prioritization of church over family) that are intensified by the demands placed upon the minister.

Validity

The foundational validation work for the SOCC-C was published in Psychological Reports in 1993, establishing its strong construct validity. The scale development process was rigorous, focusing specifically on content validity by ensuring the items accurately represented the domain of stress factors unique to clergy families. The empirical evidence from the initial factor analysis supported the theoretical model, confirming that the scale successfully differentiated between the various facets of ministry stress.

Subsequent academic applications have further reinforced the scale’s utility and criterion-related validity. For instance, doctoral research utilizing the SOCC-C (e.g., Wilson, 2010) demonstrated its effectiveness in assessing stress levels and quality of life among the adolescent children of clergy. The scale’s ability to reliably discriminate stress levels based on demographic and contextual variables within this specific population confirms its relevance and accuracy for its intended use.

Reliability

The SOCC-C exhibits high levels of reliability, particularly in terms of internal consistency, indicating that the items measuring the overall construct and its subscales are highly correlated and dependable. The scale’s stability and dependability have been consistently confirmed across various studies since its inception.

Reported Cronbach’s alpha coefficients demonstrate that the instrument meets or exceeds standard thresholds for reliable psychometric instruments:

• Total Scale: alpha 0.86
• Family’s Public Life Subscale: alpha 0.749
• Expectations Subscale: alpha 0.718
• Family Isolation Subscale: alpha 0.82

Factor Analysis

The exploratory factor analysis of the SOCC-C, which contains 19 items, identified three principal, empirically supported factors that structure the measurement of role-related stress:

• Family’s Public Life: This factor captures the strain associated with the minister’s family operating under intense public scrutiny. Items focus on the inherent loss of privacy and the necessity of maintaining a specific, often idealized, public image dictated by the congregation or wider community.
• Expectations: This dimension assesses the psychological pressure resulting from perceived behavioral standards imposed upon the family unit. This includes self-imposed pressure regarding whether the minister models the values they preach, as well as external community pressure to conform to rigid moral or social norms.
• Family Isolation: This factor addresses the sense of emotional detachment and social loneliness experienced by family members. It includes items related to difficulty forming close outside friendships, feeling different from peers, and the minister’s professional priority often leading to the neglect of family time and emotional needs.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report psychological scale

Format: 19-item questionnaire utilizing a 6-point Likert scale response format.

Language Available: English (Primary development language)

Population Group: Families of ministers (Clergy children and spouses).

Age Group: Developed for use with both children (typically adolescents) and adult couples/spouses.

Population Details: The scale specifically targets families where one parent is an ordained or practicing minister. While initial validation focused on Christian ministry families, the instrument is applicable across denominations where similar occupational demands exist.

Test Methodology: Respondents are asked to rate how upset or stressful they perceive each item to be using a 6-point scale:

1. 0 = No (Implies the item is not applicable or not experienced)
2. 1 = Not Upset
3. 2 = Little Upset
4. 3 = Somewhat Upset
5. 4 = Quite Upset
6. 5 = Very Upset

Keywords

Occupational stress, ministerial family, psychometrics, scale development, Likert scale, family dynamics, religious studies, internal consistency

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (Information not provided in source material)

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A (Information not provided in source material)

Correspondence Address: N/A (Information not provided in source material)

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The SOCC-C scale was developed in the early 1990s, with its primary psychometric properties published in 1993. The original doctoral dissertation detailing the instrument’s construction was completed by Ostrander in 1991. Due to its history of use in academic research, the scale is often accessible through public repositories and dissertations, frequently implying suitability for non-commercial research use.

However, users seeking to implement the scale for clinical or commercial purposes should formally seek permission from the primary authors or their estates. The original instrument details and text can be found in publicly accessible academic repositories. The original PDF outlining the instrument can be downloaded here: http://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED374129.pdf. Further validation details are available at: https://shareok.org/bitstream/handle/11244/11448/Thesis-2000-C989p.pdf?sequence=1.

Reference’s

• Ostrander, D. L. (1991). Predictors of Adaptation in Ministers’ Families. Oklahoma State University. Doctoral dissertation.
• Ostrander, D. L., Ceglian, C. P., & Fournier, D. G. (1993). The stressors of clergy children and couples: Reliability and validity. Psychological Reports, 72(1), 271-275. (DOI Link)
• Ostrander, D., Henry, C., & Fournier, D. (1994). Stress, family resources, coping, and adaptation in ministers’ families. Journal of Psychology and Christianity, 13, 50-67.
• Wilson, Cynthia B. (2010). Understanding Stress and the Quality of Life for Adolescent Children of Clergy: A Retrospective Study. Florida State University. Doctoral dissertation.

Items of the Stressors of Clergy Children and Couples scale (SOCC-C)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. The death of a close relative
2. The time our family spends praying/reading the Bible together
3. The parents in our family fight
4. One parent in our family is gone a lot on weekends and on evenings when the children and other parent are home
5. Lack of privacy for our family
6. Now our town/neighborhood think ministers’ families should behave
7. Whether or not minister in our family practices what they preach
8. Another family member’s emotional or mental health
9. Moving
10. Being criticized
11. Both parents work because we need the money
12. Both parents work
13. Whether or not I can ask for help if I feel sick
14. The way I am allowed/or not allowed to be angry or show any other negative emotions (sadness‚ mad‚ hate‚ or such)
15. Being told how to act by people in the church or community [Being told how to act by church people]
16. Feeling all alone or different from other people my age
17. The parent(s) in our family are divorced or talk about getting a divorce
18. Not ha‎ving a really good‚ close friend
19. Whether or not the church or the family is more important to the minister in our family