Showing papers by "Mark Shevlin published in 2004"

Assessing-emotional exhaustion among the australian clergy: internal reliability and construct validity of the scale of emotional exhaustion in ministry (seem)

Abstract: The concept of emotional exhaustion is central to understanding the phenomenon of burnout among those engaged in people-centred caring professions. The Scale of Emotional Exhaustion in Ministry (SEEM) was developed and tested on a sample of 4,370 Australian clergy who participated in the National Church Life Survey. This 11-item measure of emotional exhaustion was found to be unidimensional using confirmatory factor analysis. The scale was demonstrated to be reliable (alpha=0.883) and construct validity was supported by means of correlations with other survey questions. In addition, the data demonstrated that emotional exhaustion was more prevalent among younger clergy than among older clergy, and more prevalent among clergy associated with some denominations than with other denominations. With such psychometric properties the Scale of Emotional Exhaustion in Ministry can be commended for further use, but with further psychometric evaluation desirable.

Would you save an uncaring relative from a burning building? Considerations of relatedness and previous care in predictions of Altruism

Abstract: Previous reports of altruistic decisions regarding relatives and nonrelatives have not accounted for the likelihood that potential altruists assume their relatives would have shown them more care than would nonrelatives. We addressed this omission. In keeping with previous research on helping decisions, our participants (N = 350) were presented with biologically significant scenarios and indicated the degree to which endangered persons would likely benefit from their own altruistic intervention. Persons requiring assistance were orthogonally presented as (i) related or unrelated to the participant, and (ii) having previously shown the participant a high, moderate, or low degree of care. ANCOVA revealed that both degree of relationship and previous history of care predicted the intention to enter a burning building to save a threatened person. The level of care previously shown to the potential helper by the person requiring assistance explained more of the variance (eta squared = 28 per cent) in deciding to help than did the relationship of the two people (eta squared = 6 per cent), but, at each level of care, relatives were more likely to be saved than were nonrelatives.