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Title: PREVALENCE OF DEPRESSION AMONG OLDER CLERGY FROM SELECTED MAINLINE CHURCHES IN NAIROBI, KENYA
Authors: Ruth Omungo; Michael Kihara, PhD; Timothy Wachira, PhD
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Ruth Omungo; Michael Kihara, PhD; Timothy Wachira, PhD Daystar University, Kenya
MLA 8 Omungo, Ruth, et al. "PREVALENCE OF DEPRESSION AMONG OLDER CLERGY FROM SELECTED MAINLINE CHURCHES IN NAIROBI, KENYA." Int. j. of Social Science and Economic Research, vol. 5, no. 2, Feb. 2020, pp. 394-403, ijsser.org/more2020.php?id=28. Accessed Feb. 2020. APA(6) Omungo, R., Kihara, M., & Wachira, T. (2020, February). PREVALENCE OF DEPRESSION AMONG OLDER CLERGY FROM SELECTED MAINLINE CHURCHES IN NAIROBI, KENYA. Int. j. of Social Science and Economic Research, 5(2), 394-403. Retrieved from ijsser.org/more2020.php?id=28 Chicago Omungo, Ruth, Michael Kihara, and Timothy Wachira. "PREVALENCE OF DEPRESSION AMONG OLDER CLERGY FROM SELECTED MAINLINE CHURCHES IN NAIROBI, KENYA." Int. j. of Social Science and Economic Research 5, no. 2 (February 2020), 394-403. Accessed February, 2020. ijsser.org/more2020.php?id=28.
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Abstract: The aim of the present study was to find out the prevalence of depression among older clergy aged sixty years. Clergy depression is a psychological aberration that affects clergy due to challenges in coping with stressful vocational experiences. For older clergy, depression is deemed to arise due several factors, such as traumatic experiences in life, declining health, weakened social networks, and precarious financial situations. Stress-induced depression can occur as a temporary response to a traumatic event or it can be a chronic long-lasting condition. Older people are more vulnerable to experiencing such stressful events. However, little empirical work had been done to assess the intensity and severity of depression among older clergy. Ignorance on this matter left us ill-prepared to consider therapeutic interventions that could help older clergy deal with mild and moderate depression. Targeted in the present study were a convenience sample of 160 respondents, drawn from four mainline, Christian denominations, namely, the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK), Africa Inland Church (AIC), Presbyterian Church of East Africa (PCEA) and Methodist Church of Kenya (MCK). The Becker's Depression Index was used to estimate the level of depression among respondents. According to the findings, most respondents 52% (n=83) had either mild or moderate depression. About 5 percent of respondents (n=83) had chronic depression. In contingency analysis the frequency of financial support to older clergy emerged as the sole significant factor of depression. Financial difficulties faced by respondents before retirement, largely due to perceived low compensation, and fears of income security post-retirement shape the intensity and levels of depression among older clergy in Nairobi. The findings have generated knowledge about the risk factors for depression among older clergy, evidence and information that would be useful in clinical settings involving depression in older people.

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