Prof. Steven Sandage featured in BU’s The Brink
The following is an excerpt from The Brink article “Why Are So Many Religious Leaders Facing Stress and Burnout?” by Mara Sassoon and Andrew Thurston, featuring Albert and Jessie Danielsen Professor of Psychology of Religion and Theology Steven Sandage, published on March 17, 2022. Click here to read the full article. 
Many people who experience trauma or mental health challenges turn first to religious leaders in their community for help. But assuming the role of spiritual and psychological care provider can take a toll on clergy and chaplains, causing high rates of stress and burnout. The pressure on religious leaders has only worsened during the pandemic. In a recent poll of US pastors, the faith-based research company Barna Group found that 38 percent had considered quitting full-time ministry in 2021.
Steven Sandage, the Boston University School of Theology’s Albert and Jessie Danielsen Professor of Psychology of Religion and Theology, has observed this in his own research. “We did a couple of studies with clergy where we found their rates of posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms were at an alarmingly high level—in fact, at a level that would be higher than postdeployment military personnel,” he says.