Testing the Effect of a Stress Management Programme on Perceived Levels of Clergy Burnout in Brazil: The Balanced Affect Approach

The balanced affect approach to clergy burnout operationalised by the Francis Burnout Inventory suggests that negative affect (emotional exhaustion) and positive affect (satisfaction in ministry) operate as partially separate systems, leading to the hypothesis that stress management workshops should lead to a reduction in negative affect measured by the Scale of Emotional Exhaustion in Ministry rather than to increase in positive affect measured by the Satisfaction in Ministry Scale. The hypothesis is supported in a study conducted among 43 clergy in Brazil who participated in a series of stress management workshops. The data support both the effectiveness of the workshops and the construct validity of the Francis Burnout Inventory.