The Experience of Financial Well-Being, Shame, and Mental Health Outcomes in Seminary Students

DESCRIPTION: Financial hardship can affect seminary students in ways that extend beyond material strain. Drawing on a sample of 189 graduate students from ATS-accredited seminaries, this study examines relationships among financial well-being, shame, depression, anxiety, and spiritual well-being. The findings show that lower financial well-being was associated with greater shame, which in turn mediated relationships between financial distress and depression, anxiety, and spiritual well-being. The authors suggest that shame may be an important mechanism for understanding the broader psychological and spiritual effects of financial hardship and student debt among seminarians.

KEYWORDS: anxiety; depression; financial distress; financial well-being; mental health; seminary students; shame; spiritual well-being; student debt; student well-being

CITATION: Blea, Jordan, David C. Wang, Christina L. Kim, Gabriel Lowe, Jesika Austad, Melabi Amponsah, and Nicholle Johnston. 2021. “The Experience of Financial Well-Being, Shame, and Mental Health Outcomes in Seminary Students.” Pastoral Psychology 70: 299–314. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11089-021-00963-4.