Rae Jean Proeschold-Bell

Journal article Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion · June 1, 2026 For many occupations, the toll of work-related stressors on job satisfaction may be mitigated by social and emotional support. However, social support may be different for clergy, considering their unique work environment. Using data from the Clergy Health ... Full text Cite

Examining Marital Quality within the Clergy Profession: The Relationship between Occupational Stress, Positive Occupational Factors, and Marital Satisfaction

Journal article Journal of Family Issues · January 1, 2026 This study examines the relationship between occupational factors and marital satisfaction within the clergy profession, utilizing longitudinal data across fourteen years. Using the Quality of Relationship Index, we examined occupational distress and hosti ... Full text Cite

A brief report on the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences among United Methodist clergy.

Journal article Psychological trauma : theory, research, practice and policy · October 2025 ObjectiveThis brief report examines the prevalence of adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) among United Methodist Church clergy in North Carolina. Clergy serve the mental, spiritual, emotional, and material needs of their congregants and communiti ... Full text Cite

Does Flourishing Mental Health Improve Perceived Quality of Life?

Journal article Journal of Happiness Studies · August 1, 2025 Flourishing mental health and quality of life (QoL) are related but distinct positive indicators of wellbeing. This study examined the relationship between flourishing mental health and QoL, specifically by using longitudinal data to determine the directio ... Full text Cite

Embedding Positive Emotions Activities in a Family-Strengthening Intervention to Enhance Receptivity and Engagement

Journal article Journal of Prevention and Health Promotion · April 2025 Fostering participant engagement in behavioral interventions, especially those delivered via videoconferencing and with families, is challenging. Drawing on social-psychological literature on positive emotions and known emotion-action tendency sets ... Full text Cite

An Exploration of the Mediators and Moderators of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Among Clergy: Secondary Analysis of Data From the Selah Trial, a Preference-Based Randomized Wait-List-Controlled Trial

Journal article International Journal of Stress Management · March 20, 2025 We conducted a secondary analysis of the Selah trial, a preference-based, partially randomized, wait-list-controlled trial, to evaluate mediators and effect modifiers of a mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) intervention. Participants were United Met ... Full text Cite

The relationship between burnout and Outlook, Resilience, and other emotional styles: Evidence from United Methodist clergy

Journal article Journal of Workplace Behavioral Health · January 1, 2025 Emotional styles, which compose an individual’s dependable pattern of responses to their temporary emotional states, have been associated with academic success, life satisfaction, and flourishing mental health, but have not been studied in terms of work-re ... Full text Cite

Exploring supportive roles for global north investigators in global health research.

Journal article PLOS Glob Public Health · 2025 Many academics are increasingly pushing for solutions to address inequitable partnership dynamics in global health research and practice. Efforts to improve equity in collaborations have prompted academic institutions to grapple with promotion and tenure c ... Full text Link to item Cite

The weight of the yoke: a qualitative analysis of the stressors for clergy across a mental health continuum

Journal article Mental Health Religion and Culture · January 1, 2025 Healthy clergy serve as the cornerstone of thriving congregations and, by extension, healthier communities. However, the multifaced working responsibilities combined with a deep sense of responsibility to one's sacred call can produce a cascade of sources ... Full text Cite

Psychological processes and alcohol reduction in patients with chronic hepatitis C: Results from the HepART trial.

Journal article Alcohol Clin Exp Res (Hoboken) · August 2024 BACKGROUND: There is a lack of randomized controlled trials of behavioral interventions and process-level research related to alcohol reduction among patients with chronic liver disease (e.g., hepatitis C viral (HCV) infection). We conducted a process-leve ... Full text Link to item Cite

High Rates of Obesity and Chronic Diseases Among North Carolina United Methodist Clergy: An Updated Analysis.

Journal article North Carolina medical journal · August 2024 BackgroundVaried demands and stressors experienced by clergy can contribute adversely to their overall well-being. Data from United Methodist Church (UMC) clergy in North Carolina in 2008 revealed that clergy had significantly higher non-communica ... Full text Cite

A Pilot Study of the Coping Together Virtual Family Intervention: Exploring Changes in Family Functioning and Individual Well-Being.

Journal article Research on child and adolescent psychopathology · July 2024 In this pilot study, we tested a virtual family strengthening and mental health promotion intervention, Coping Together (CT), during the COVID-19 pandemic. We explored changes at the family and individual levels, as well as mechanisms of change. Participan ... Full text Cite

When Shepherds Shed: Trajectories of Weight-Related Behaviors in a Holistic Health Intervention Tailored for US Christian Clergy.

Journal article J Relig Health · June 2024 Maintaining healthy behaviors is challenging. Based upon previous reports that in North Carolina (NC), USA, overweight/obese clergy lost weight during a two-year religiously tailored health intervention, we described trajectories of diet, physical activity ... Full text Link to item Cite

Stability and shifts in the combined positive and negative mental health of clergy: A longitudinal latent class and latent transition analysis study of united methodist pastors before and after the onset of COVID-19.

Journal article Social science & medicine (1982) · March 2024 COVID-19 and its associated restrictions presented unprecedented challenges for those in the helping professions. In this study, we seek to understand how the mental health of those who belong to one specific helping profession - clergy - changed in the co ... Full text Cite

Family Strengthening in the Context of COVID-19: Adapting a Community-Based Intervention from Kenya to the United States.

Journal article Prevention science : the official journal of the Society for Prevention Research · February 2024 COVID-19 led to widespread disruption of services that promote family well-being. Families impacted most were those already experiencing disparities due to structural and systemic barriers. Existing support systems faded into the background as families bec ... Full text Cite

What processes or key components do teachers attribute to their well-being? A cross-cultural qualitative study of teacher well-being in Cambodia, Kenya, and Qatar

Journal article Psychology in the Schools · December 1, 2023 The study of teacher well-being is critically important. However, teacher well-being studies are lacking in Africa, Asia, and the Middle East, and also generally in low-income countries. This exploratory case study sought to identify teachers' perceptions ... Full text Cite

School-aged Children with Down Syndrome in Galle, Sri Lanka: Relationship between Level of Disability, Resource Use and Caregiver Burden

Journal article Disability Cbr and Inclusive Development · September 1, 2023 Purpose: The study assessed the relationship between the level of disability amongst school-aged children with Down Syndrome and overall caregiver burden, and the potential moderating effects of social support and external service access on the caregiver/c ... Full text Cite

The Selah Pilot Study of Spiritual, Mindfulness, and Stress Inoculation Practices on Stress-Related Outcomes Among United Methodist Clergy in the United States.

Journal article Journal of religion and health · August 2023 The job-demand-control-support model indicates that clergy are at high risk for chronic stress and adverse health outcomes. A multi-group pre-test-post-test design was used to evaluate the feasibility, acceptability, and range of outcome effect sizes for f ... Full text Cite

The Gap in Mental Health Service Utilization Among United Methodist Clergy with Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms.

Journal article J Relig Health · June 2023 Clergy are tasked with multiple interpersonal administrative, organizational, and religious responsibilities, such as preaching, teaching, counseling, administering sacraments, developing lay leader skills, and providing leadership and vision for the congr ... Full text Link to item Cite

Factors influencing teacher wellbeing and burnout in schools: A scoping review.

Journal article Work (Reading, Mass.) · January 2023 BackgroundTeacher's wellbeing and mental health play a pivotal role in learning experiences and educational environment. For a better future, we need thriving teachers with strong wellbeing.ObjectiveThe current scoping literature review a ... Full text Cite

Mental well-being in Sri Lankan medical students: a cross-sectional study.

Journal article Psychol Health Med · July 2022 Preventing burnout and promoting positive mental health among medical students is important. Relevant research is lacking on positive mental health in medical students, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. We conducted a cross-sectional survey ... Full text Link to item Cite

Using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research to Inform the Design of the Mobile Inspección Visual con Ácido Acético System: Mixed Methods Case Study.

Journal article JMIR Form Res · June 23, 2022 BACKGROUND: There is growing evidence supporting the use of mobile health (mHealth) interventions in low- and middle-income countries to address resource limitations in the delivery of health information and services to vulnerable populations. In parallel, ... Full text Link to item Cite

Changes in Sabbath-Keeping and Mental Health Over Time: Evaluation Findings From the Sabbath Living Study

Journal article Journal of Psychology and Theology · June 1, 2022 Work-related stress is experienced at a high level in the United States. Clergy are particularly likely to over-extend themselves to act on their sacred call. Sabbath-keeping may offer a practice that is beneficial for mental health, yet many Protestant cl ... Full text Cite

Seminary Students and Physical Health: Beliefs, Behaviors, and Barriers.

Journal article J Relig Health · April 2022 As an occupational group, clergy exhibit numerous physical health problems. Given the physical health problems faced by clergy, understanding where physical health falls within the priorities of seminary students, the ways students conceptualize physical h ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Age differences in trajectories of depressive, anxiety, and burnout symptoms in a population with a high likelihood of persistent occupational distress.

Journal article Int Psychogeriatr · January 2022 OBJECTIVES: Work in occupations with higher levels of occupational stress can bring mental health costs. Many older adults worldwide are continuing to work past traditional retirement age, raising the question whether older adults experience depression, an ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Selah study protocol of three interventions to manage stress among clergy: a preference-based randomized waitlist control trial.

Journal article Trials · December 2021 IntroductionLike many helping professionals in emotional labor occupations, clergy experience high rates of mental and physical comorbidities. Regular stress management practices may reduce stress-related symptoms and morbidity, but more research ... Full text Cite

Reduced Alcohol Use Is Sustained in Patients Provided Alcohol-Related Counseling During Direct-Acting Antiviral Therapy for Hepatitis C.

Journal article Dig Dis Sci · September 2021 BACKGROUND: Patients with chronic hepatitis C and risky/harmful alcohol use experience poor outcomes. Granular data evaluating whether alcohol counseling during hepatitis C treatment impacts longitudinal alcohol consumption are lacking. AIMS: To evaluate w ... Full text Link to item Cite

Knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding cervical cancer screening among women in metropolitan Lima, Peru: a cross-sectional study.

Journal article BMC Womens Health · August 18, 2021 BACKGROUND: Cervical cancer is a leading cause of cancer deaths among women of reproductive age in Peru. Screening and early identification of pre-cancerous lesions are a cornerstone of the cervical cancer prevention strategy. Yet, there is limited literat ... Full text Link to item Cite

Residential Care Directors’ Perceptions of Desirable Characteristics of Caregivers for Orphaned and Separated Children

Journal article International Journal of Applied Positive Psychology · July 1, 2021 Caring for, raising, and educating orphaned and separated children (OSC) is important work that is critical to the long-term well-being of those children. Despite the importance of caregiving, it can be overwhelming and stressful. Much of the available lit ... Full text Cite

Evaluation of a remote, internet-delivered version of the Trier Social Stress Test.

Journal article International journal of psychophysiology : official journal of the International Organization of Psychophysiology · July 2021 The Trier Social Stress Test (TSST) is a widely used, reliable, and ecologically valid method for inducing acute stress under controlled conditions. Traditionally, the TSST is administered with staff physically present with participants, which limits the p ... Full text Cite

Why do patients with chronic hepatitis C drink alcohol? An examination of pain, depression and drinking motives.

Journal article J Viral Hepat · May 2021 Alcohol consumption in the setting of chronic HCV is associated with accelerated progression towards cirrhosis, increased risk of hepatocellular carcinoma and higher mortality. This analysis contextualizes how sociodemographic factors, chronic pain and dep ... Full text Link to item Cite

How Would You Describe a Mentally Healthy Person? A Cross-Cultural Qualitative Study of Caregivers of Orphans and Separated Children

Journal article Journal of Happiness Studies · April 1, 2021 The researcher-driven conceptualizations of mental health that undergird flourishing measures have not been extensively studied qualitatively for acceptance by people in low and middle income countries. We conducted in-depth interviews with caregivers of o ... Full text Cite

Change in Alcohol Use and Association with Positive and Negative Emotions: Results from an Alcohol Treatment Study with Hepatitis C Patients.

Journal article Alcohol Treat Q · 2021 Few studies exist on the change over time in positive and negative emotions during treatment for alcoholism disorders. We aimed to evaluate relationship between alcohol reduction and change in positive and negative emotions. Chronic HCV patients (n=174) wi ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Selah pilot study of spiritual, mindfulness, and stress inoculation practices on stress-related outcomes: A non-randomized participant preference control pilot study

Journal article · 2021 AbstractBackground The job-demand-control-support model indicates that clergy are at high risk for chronic stress and adverse health outcomes. Methods A non-randomized participant preference design with a control group was used to eva ... Full text Cite

Barriers to the uptake of cervical cancer services and attitudes towards adopting new interventions in Peru.

Journal article Prev Med Rep · December 2020 Cervical cancer mortality is high among Peruvian women of reproductive age. Understanding barriers and facilitators of cervical cancer screening and treatment could facilitate development of contextually-relevant interventions to reduce cervical cancer inc ... Full text Link to item Cite

Enjoyment and meaning in daily activities among caregivers of orphaned and separated children in four countries

Journal article Children and Youth Services Review · September 1, 2020 Introduction: There are many orphaned and separated children (OSC) in the world and caregivers play a crucial role in raising them. Frameworks on employee mental health incorporate elements of both enjoyment/difficulties and values (i.e., hedonic and eudai ... Full text Cite

Religion and Caregiving for Orphans and Vulnerable Children: A Qualitative Study of Caregivers Across Four Religious Traditions and Five Global Contexts.

Journal article J Relig Health · June 2020 Studies of caregivers of orphans and vulnerable children (OVC) rarely examine the role religion plays in their lives. We conducted qualitative interviews of 69 caregivers in four countries: Ethiopia, Kenya, Cambodia, and India (Hyderabad and Nagaland), and ... Full text Link to item Cite

A Randomized Controlled Trial of an Integrated Alcohol Reduction Intervention in Patients With Hepatitis C Infection.

Journal article Hepatology · June 2020 Featured Publication BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Hepatitis C virus (HCV) and alcohol use are patient risk factors for accelerated fibrosis progression, yet few randomized controlled trials have tested clinic-based alcohol interventions. APPROACH AND RESULTS: A total of 181 patients w ... Full text Link to item Cite

Are changes in positive mental health associated with increased likelihood of depression over a two year period? A test of the mental health promotion and protection hypotheses.

Journal article J Affect Disord · June 1, 2020 Featured Publication This paper investigates the mental health promotion and protection (MHPP) model of reducing depression. Data are from the Clergy Health Initiative Longitudinal Survey of United Methodist ministers in North Carolina that included the Mental Health Continuum ... Full text Link to item Cite

Using a holistic health approach to achieve weight-loss maintenance: results from the Spirited Life intervention.

Journal article Transl Behav Med · February 3, 2020 Featured Publication Weight-loss maintenance is essential to sustain the health benefits of weight loss. Studies with lower intensity intervention supports under real-world conditions are lacking. This study examined changes in weight and cardiometabolic biomarkers among Spiri ... Full text Link to item Cite

A prospective study of clergy spiritual well-being, depressive symptoms, and occupational distress.

Journal article Psychology of Religion and Spirituality · January 1, 2020 Featured Publication Work, when stressful, can be dispiriting. There are bidirectional and longitudinal links between occupational stress and depressive symptoms. Also, higher levels of religious participation are associated with lower levels of depressive symptoms and work di ... Full text Cite

Putting virtues in context: engaging the VIA classification of character strengths in caregiving for orphans and vulnerable children across cultures

Journal article Journal of Positive Psychology · November 2, 2019 Featured Publication The VIA Classification of Character Strengths has broken important ground for measuring character strengths across cultures. Because the VIA Classification is a closed system of abstract strengths, however, it is unknown how end-users engage strengths in p ... Full text Open Access Cite

Relationships between Sabbath Observance and Mental, Physical, and Spiritual Health in Clergy

Journal article Pastoral Psychology · April 15, 2019 Keeping the Sabbath, that is, setting a day apart for rest and spiritual rejuvenation, has been related to better mental health and less stress in cross-sectional studies. However, for clergy, keeping Sabbath can be complicated by needing to work on Sunday ... Full text Cite

Caring and thriving: An international qualitative study of caregivers of orphaned and vulnerable children and strategies to sustain positive mental health

Journal article · March 1, 2019 Featured Publication © 2018 Background: Child well-being is associated with caregiver mental health. Research has focused on the absence or presence of mental health problems, such as depression, in caregivers. However, positive mental health – defined as the presence of posit ... Full text Open Access Cite

A Novel, Versatile Speculum-free Callascope for Clinical Examination and Self-Visualization of the Cervix

Journal article · 2019 Background Invasive cervical cancer is preventable, yet affects 500,000 women worldwide each year, and over half these women die. Barriers to cervical cancer screening include lack of awareness of cervical cancer and the cervix, fear of the specu ... Full text Cite

Persistent Depressive Symptoms in a Population With High Levels of Occupational Stress: Trajectories Offer Insights Into Both Chronicity and Resilience.

Journal article J Psychiatr Pract · November 2018 Featured Publication Religious participation and spirituality are linked to good mental health. However, clergy may experience more depression than is observed in the general population, which may be due in part to high job strain. The objectives of this study were to identify ... Full text Link to item Cite

Disentangling Race and Socioeconomic Status in HealthDisparities Research: an Examination of Black and White Clergy.

Journal article Journal of racial and ethnic health disparities · October 2018 AimSophisticated adjustments for socioeconomic status (SES) in health disparities research may help illuminate the independent role of race in health differences between Blacks and Whites. In this study of people who share the same occupation (Uni ... Full text Cite

The Hepatitis C-Alcohol Reduction Treatment (Hep ART) intervention: Study protocol of a multi-center randomized controlled trial.

Journal article Contemp Clin Trials · September 2018 Featured Publication INTRODUCTION: Among patients with hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, alcohol synergistically increases the risk of cirrhosis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and death. Randomized controlled trials of integrated models of HCV-alcohol treatment have been recommen ... Full text Link to item Cite

Longitudinal Predictors of Behavioral Intentions and HIV Service Use Among Men Who Have Sex with Men.

Journal article Prevention science : the official journal of the Society for Prevention Research · May 2018 HIV prevention interventions are generally effective at reducing sexual risk. Although these interventions have been widely disseminated in the USA, their success depends largely on whether subpopulations who have been prioritized for risk reduction are wi ... Full text Cite

Facilitators and Barriers to Naloxone Kit Use Among Opioid-Dependent Patients Enrolled in Medication Assisted Therapy Clinics in North Carolina.

Journal article North Carolina medical journal · May 2018 BACKGROUND Naloxone-an opioid antagonist that reverses the effects of opioids-is increasingly being distributed in non-medical settings. We sought to identify the facilitators of, and barriers to, opioid users using naloxone kits in North Carolina.< ... Full text Cite

A 2-Year Holistic Health and Stress Intervention: Results of an RCT in Clergy.

Journal article Am J Prev Med · September 2017 Featured Publication INTRODUCTION: This study sought to determine the effect of a 2-year, multicomponent health intervention (Spirited Life) targeting metabolic syndrome and stress simultaneously. DESIGN: An RCT using a three-cohort multiple baseline design was conducted in 20 ... Full text Link to item Cite

Prospective Associations Between Depressive Symptoms and the Metabolic Syndrome: the Spirited Life Study of Methodist Pastors in North Carolina.

Journal article Annals of behavioral medicine : a publication of the Society of Behavioral Medicine · August 2017 Featured Publication BackgroundMetabolic syndrome (Met-S) has a robust concurrent association with depression. A small, methodologically limited literature suggests that Met-S and depression are reciprocally related over time, an association that could contribute to t ... Full text Cite

Clergy Burnout: A Comparison Study with Other Helping Professions

Journal article Pastoral Psychology · April 1, 2017 Clergy experience a large number of stressors in their work, including role overload and emotional labor. Although studies have found high rates of depression in clergy, the degree of work-related burnout in clergy compared to other occupations is unknown. ... Full text Cite

The Honeymoon is Over: Occupational Relocation and Changes in Mental Health Among United Methodist Clergy

Journal article Review of Religious Research · March 1, 2017 In this study we examine how the process of relocation affects the mental health of United Methodist clergy and the extent to which relocation is associated with changes in clergy perception of the workplace environment and feelings of self-efficacy. We an ... Full text Cite

Design and preliminary analysis of a vaginal inserter for speculum-free cervical cancer screening.

Journal article PLoS One · 2017 Featured Publication OBJECTIVE: Cervical cancer screening usually requires use of a speculum to provide a clear view of the cervix. The speculum is one potential barrier to screening due to fear of pain, discomfort and embarrassment. The aim of this paper is to present and dem ... Full text Link to item Cite

"We Hide Under the Scriptures": Conceptualization of Health Among United Methodist Church Clergy in Kenya.

Journal article J Relig Health · December 2015 As community leaders, clergy are well-positioned to impact the health of their congregants. Clergy's conceptualizations of health influence their own self-care and how they minister to others. Interviews and focus group discussions on health conceptualizat ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Glory of God is a Human Being Fully Alive: Predictors of Positive Versus Negative Mental Health Among Clergy

Journal article Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion · December 1, 2015 Clergy fulfill vital societal functions as meaning makers and community builders. Partly because of their important roles, clergy frequently encounter stressful situations. Further, studies suggest that clergy experience high rates of depression. Despite t ... Full text Cite

Methodological considerations in the use of name generators and interpreters

Journal article Social Networks · January 1, 2015 With data from the Clergy Health Initiative Longitudinal Survey, we look for interviewer effects, differences between web and telephone delivery, and panel conditioning bias in an "important matters" name generator and interpreter, replicated from the U.S. ... Full text Cite

Mental Health and Substance Use Among Patients in a North Carolina HIV Clinic.

Journal article N C Med J · 2015 BACKGROUND: The HIV/AIDS epidemic is a significant public health concern in North Carolina, and previous research has pointed to elevated mental health distress and substance use among HIV-infected populations, which may impact patients' adherence to medic ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Measuring stress in a clergy population: Lessons learned from cognitive interview testing of the Perceived Stress Scale with clergy

Journal article Research in the Social Scientific Study of Religion · 2015 The most commonly used self-report stress measure is the ten-item Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), first published by Cohen in 1983. The PSS it seeks to measure one’s appraisal of stress, helplessness and self-efficacy. We determined how Christian clergy migh ... Cite

Development of a Measure of Hepatitis C-alcohol Knowledge.

Journal article Journal of alcohol and drug education · December 2014 Alcohol use by persons with hepatitis C (HCV) increases the risk of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, yet no measures on knowledge of the effects of alcohol use on HCV have been published. We developed 7 items assessing knowledge of the relationship ... Cite

Closeness to God among those doing God's work: a spiritual well-being measure for clergy.

Journal article Journal of religion and health · June 2014 Measuring spiritual well-being among clergy is particularly important given the high relevance of God to their lives, and yet its measurement is prone to problems such as ceiling effects and conflating religious behaviors with spiritual well-being. To crea ... Full text Cite

Substance Use Outcomes of an Integrated HIV-Substance Use Treatment Model Implemented by Social Workers and HIV Medical Providers

Journal article Health and Social Work · February 24, 2014 Substance use is highly prevalent among people living with HIV (PLWH) and associated with poor health outcomes. Although understudied, integrating substance use and medical care for PLWH may decrease substance use. Using a quasi-experimental design, the au ... Full text Cite

Using effort-reward imbalance theory to understand high rates of depression and anxiety among clergy.

Journal article J Prim Prev · December 2013 Featured Publication The clergy occupation is unique in its combination of role strains and higher calling, putting clergy mental health at risk. We surveyed all United Methodist clergy in North Carolina, and 95% (n = 1,726) responded, with 38% responding via phone interview. ... Full text Link to item Cite

Use of a randomized multiple baseline design: rationale and design of the spirited life holistic health intervention study.

Journal article Contemp Clin Trials · July 2013 Featured Publication Clergy suffer from high rates of obesity, chronic disease, and depression, and simultaneously underestimate the toll these take on their daily functioning. Health interventions are needed for clergy and may be tailored to their occupational context and the ... Full text Link to item Cite

Overcoming the challenges of pastoral work? Peer support groups and psychological distress among united methodist church clergy

Journal article Sociology of Religion A Quarterly Review · June 1, 2013 Clergy often face a great deal of occupational stress that in turn can lead to psychological distress. In recent years, denominations have been turning to peer support groups to combat these challenges, but little research exists regarding their effectiven ... Full text Cite

Three types of self-efficacy associated with medication adherence in patients with co-occurring HIV and substance use disorders, but only when mood disorders are present.

Journal article Journal of multidisciplinary healthcare · January 2013 BackgroundAdherence with medication regimens for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a life-saving behavior for people with HIV infection, yet adherence is challenging for many individuals with co-occurring substance use and/or mood disorders. M ... Full text Cite

The life of leaders: an intensive health program for clergy.

Journal article Journal of religion and health · December 2012 Clergy suffer from chronic disease rates that are higher than those of non-clergy. Health interventions for clergy are needed, and some exist, although none to date have been described in the literature. Life of Leaders is a clergy health intervention desi ... Full text Open Access Cite

Physical health functioning among United Methodist clergy.

Journal article Journal of religion and health · September 2012 United Methodist clergy have been found to have higher than average self-reported rates of obesity, diabetes, asthma, arthritis, and high blood pressure. However, health diagnoses differ from physical health functioning, which indicates how much health pro ... Full text Cite

Health care utilization in HIV-infected patients: assessing the burden of hepatitis C virus coinfection.

Journal article AIDS Patient Care STDS · September 2012 Abstract Health care utilization for HIV-1-infected patients appears to be declining in the United States as a result of highly active antiviral therapy (HAART); yet the opposite appears true in the HIV/hepatitis C virus (HCV) coinfected population. The re ... Full text Link to item Cite

HIV/AIDS-related institutional mistrust among multiethnic men who have sex with men: effects on HIV testing and risk behaviors.

Journal article Health psychology : official journal of the Division of Health Psychology, American Psychological Association · May 2012 ObjectiveTo investigate relationships between institutional mistrust (systematic discrimination, organizational suspicion, and conspiracy beliefs), HIV risk behaviors, and HIV testing in a multiethnic sample of men who have sex with men (MSM), and ... Full text Open Access Cite

An integrated alcohol abuse and medical treatment model for patients with hepatitis C.

Journal article Dig Dis Sci · April 2012 Featured Publication BACKGROUND: Patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection have high rates of alcohol consumption, which is associated with progression of fibrosis and lower response rates to HCV treatment. AIMS: This prospective cohort study examined the feasibi ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

Childhood trauma and health outcomes in HIV-infected patients: an exploration of causal pathways.

Journal article J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr · April 1, 2012 OBJECTIVE: Traumatic life histories are highly prevalent in people living with HIV/AIDS and predict sexual risk behaviors, medication adherence, and all-cause mortality. Yet the causal pathways explaining these relationships remain poorly understood. We so ... Full text Link to item Cite

Are rural clergy worse off?: An examination of occupational conditions and pastoral experiences in a sample of united methodist clergy

Journal article Sociology of Religion A Quarterly Review · March 1, 2012 Scholars have shown that clergy work can be stressful, and that these occupational strains can lead to negative physical and mental health outcomes. Despite the fact that nearly one-third of all congregations in the United States are rural, little work has ... Full text Cite

Health Programming for Clergy: An Overview of Protestant Programs in the United States

Journal article Pastoral Psychology · February 1, 2012 The health of clergy is important, and clergy may find health programming tailored to them more effective. Little is known about existing clergy health programs. We contacted Protestant denominational headquarters and searched academic databases and the In ... Full text Open Access Cite

Young men’s willingness to undergo Safe Male Circumcision (SMC) decreases with increased educational attainment in some rural areas of central Uganda

Journal article Journal of Global Health · 2012 Safe male circumcision (SMC) decreases risk of HIV transmission (Weiss et al., 2008a). Mathematical modeling indicates that in order to yield significant declines in HIV prevalence in sub-Saharan Africa, wide adoption of SMC is necessary (Nagelkerke, Moses ... Cite

Tailoring health programming to clergy: findings from a study of United Methodist clergy in North Carolina.

Journal article Journal of prevention & intervention in the community · January 2012 Research indicating high rates of chronic disease among some clergy groups highlights the need for health programming for clergy. Like any group united by similar beliefs and norms, clergy may find culturally tailored health programming more accessible and ... Full text Cite

An overview of the history and current status of clergy health.

Journal article Journal of prevention & intervention in the community · January 2012 Full text Cite

Healthy leaders: Multilevel health promotion considerations for diverse United Methodist Church pastors

Journal article Journal of Community Psychology · 2012 Community psychologists often work with institutions and leaders, such as clergy, to bring about social change. Studies finding high rates of chronic disease among clergy have called for the design of clergy health interventions. However, among clergy ther ... Cite

An interrupted time series evaluation of a hepatitis C intervention for persons with HIV.

Journal article AIDS Behav · November 2011 Featured Publication Accurate HCV knowledge is lacking among high-risk groups, including people with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). Liver disease primarily due to HCV has emerged as a serious cause of mortality among PLWHA. We used an Interrupted Time Series design to evaluate a social-eco ... Full text Link to item Cite

A theoretical model of the holistic health of United Methodist clergy.

Journal article J Relig Health · September 2011 Featured Publication Culturally competent health interventions require an understanding of the population's beliefs and the pressures they experience. Research to date on the health-related beliefs and experiences of clergy lacks a comprehensive data-driven model of clergy hea ... Full text Link to item Cite

Explaining rural/non-rural disparities in physical health-related quality of life: a study of United Methodist clergy in North Carolina.

Journal article Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · August 2011 PurposeResearchers have documented lower health-related quality of life (HRQL) in rural areas. This study seeks to identify factors that can explain this disparity.MethodsUnited Methodist clergy in North Carolina (N = 1,513) completed the ... Full text Open Access Cite

The increasing impact of human immunodeficiency virus infections, sexually transmitted diseases, and viral hepatitis in Durham County, North Carolina: a call for coordinated and integrated services.

Journal article N C Med J · 2011 BACKGROUND: Durham County, North Carolina, faces high rates of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection (with or without progression to AIDS) and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). We explored the use of health care services and the prevalence of co ... Open Access Link to item Cite

Exploring rural/non-rural differences among united methodist churches and clergy in north Carolina

Journal article Review of Religious Research · January 1, 2011 Full text Cite

A comparison of the adoption of electronic health records in North Carolina and South Carolina HIV systems.

Journal article Southern medical journal · November 2010 BackgroundThe electronic exchange of health records has been a notable topic in recent years in the effort to improve the quality of healthcare delivery and reduce administrative burden. Interviews and documents from stakeholders in human immunode ... Full text Cite

A randomized controlled trial of health information exchange between human immunodeficiency virus institutions.

Journal article Journal of public health management and practice : JPHMP · November 2010 ContextIn order for patients to benefit from a multidisciplinary treatment approach, diverse providers must communicate on patient care.ObjectiveWe sought to examine the effect of information exchange across multidisciplinary human immuno ... Full text Cite

A cross-site, comparative effectiveness study of an integrated HIV and substance use treatment program.

Journal article AIDS Patient Care STDS · October 2010 Featured Publication Co-occurrence of HIV and substance abuse is associated with poor outcomes for HIV-related health and substance use. Integration of substance use and medical care holds promise for HIV patients, yet few integrated treatment models have been reported. Most o ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite

High rates of obesity and chronic disease among United Methodist clergy.

Journal article Obesity (Silver Spring) · September 2010 We used self-reported data from United Methodist clergy to assess the prevalence of obesity and having ever been told certain chronic disease diagnoses. Of all actively serving United Methodist clergy in North Carolina (NC) 95% (n = 1726) completed self-re ... Full text Link to item Cite

Hepatitis C transmission, prevention, and treatment knowledge among patients with HIV.

Journal article South Med J · July 2010 OBJECTIVE: Liver disease associated with hepatitis C virus (HCV) is a serious cause of mortality among people living with human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) (PLWHA). Little is known about the HCV knowledge of PLWHA. ... Full text Link to item Cite

Provider reports on changes and barriers to changes in HIV-HCV co-infection practices

Journal article Journal of HIV/AIDS and Social Services · 2010 The increased mortality among persons co-infected with HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C (HCV) is a concern that provider training on HCV-HIV co-infection may address. Medical and behavioral health providers were given training on co-infection. This study address ... Cite

A randomized controlled trial of health information exchange between HIV institutions

Journal article Journal of Public Health Management and Practice · 2010 Context. In order for patients to benefit from a multidisciplinary treatment approach, diverse providers must communicate on patient care. Objective. We sought to examine the effect of information exchange across multidisciplinary HIV providers on patie ... Cite

Provider reports on the ability to implement changes in practice following HIV-HCV training

Journal article Journal of HIV AIDS and Social Services · January 1, 2010 The increased mortality among persons co-infected with HIV/AIDS and hepatitis C (HCV) is a concern that provider training on HCV-HIV co-infection may address. Medical and behavioral health providers were given training on co-infection. This study addresses ... Full text Cite

Adaptations across clinical sites of an integrated treatment model for persons with HIV and substance abuse.

Journal article AIDS patient care and STDs · August 2009 Substance use disorders are common among people living with HIV (PLWHA), and PLWHA with untreated substance use are less likely to receive antiretroviral therapy (ART) or achieve viral suppression when ART is prescribed. Integrated behavioral and medical i ... Full text Cite

Cost-effectiveness analysis of integrated care for people with HIV, chronic mental illness and substance abuse disorders.

Journal article The journal of mental health policy and economics · March 2009 BackgroundTriply diagnosed patients, who live with HIV and diagnosed mental health and substance abuse disorders, account for at least 13% of all HIV patients. This vulnerable population has substantial gaps in their care, attributable in part to ... Cite

Triply-diagnosed patients in the HIV/AIDS Treatment Adherence, Health Outcomes and Cost Study: patterns of home care use.

Journal article AIDS care · November 2008 Although AIDS is a chronic illness, little is known about the patterns and correlates of long-term care use among triply diagnosed HIV patients. We examined nursing and home care use among 1,045 participants in the HIV/AIDS Treatment Adherence, Health Outc ... Full text Cite

Utilization of mental health and substance abuse care for people living with HIV/AIDS, chronic mental illness, and substance abuse disorders.

Journal article J Acquir Immune Defic Syndr · April 1, 2008 OBJECTIVE: To examine the effects of race/ethnicity, insurance, and type of substance abuse (SA) diagnosis on utilization of mental health (MH) and SA services among triply diagnosed adults with HIV/AIDS and co-occurring mental illness (MI) and SA disorder ... Full text Link to item Cite

The Cognitive Escape Scale: measuring HIV-related thought avoidance.

Journal article AIDS Behav · March 2008 Cognitive escape provides a model for examining the cognitive processes involved in escaping from thoughts of HIV/AIDS in a population of men who have sex with men (MSM). This investigation presents psychometric information and validation data on the Cogni ... Full text Link to item Cite

Guidelines for effective integration of information technology in the care of HIV-infected populations.

Journal article J Public Health Manag Pract · 2007 BACKGROUND: Although information technology (IT) plays an increasingly important role in the delivery of healthcare, specific guidelines to assist human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) care settings in adopting IT are lacking. METHODS: Through the experiences ... Full text Link to item Cite

Do gay and bisexual men share researchers' definitions of barebacking?

Journal article Journal of Psychology and Human Sexuality · March 1, 2006 Despite pervasive discussion of "barebacking" in the HIV prevention literature, inconsistencies exist in how the term is defined. Moreover, little is known about whether gay and bisexual men concur with any of the definitions in the literature. In this stu ... Full text Cite

Component measures of Psychological Sense of Community among gay men

Journal article Journal of Community Psychology · January 1, 2006 Psychological Sense of Community (PSOC) theoretically comprises four components (Membership, Influence, Fulfillment of Needs, and Shared Emotional Connection), but existing measures of the components are psychometrically lacking. The current study sought t ... Full text Cite

Home smoking restrictions and adolescent smoking.

Journal article Nicotine Tob Res · May 2000 The prevention of adolescent smoking has focused on peer influences to the relative neglect of parental influences. Parents socialize their children about many behaviors including smoking, and parental rules about their child's smoking have been related to ... Full text Link to item Cite

Attitudes and behaviors that differentiate clergy with positive mental health from those with burnout

Journal article Journal of Prevention & Intervention in the Community Featured Publication Clergy provide significant support to their congregants, sometimes at a cost to their mental health. Identifying the factors that enable clergy to flourish in the face of such occupational stressors can inform prevention and intervention efforts to support ... Cite

Perceived social support, received social support, and depression among clergy

Journal article Journal of Social and Personal Relationships We argue perceived support is best conceptualized as more a measure of how an individual appraises their situation rather than a true reflection of how much support they receive. To test this theory, we used survey data from the Clergy Health Initiative Pa ... Cite