Pastors' Personal and Pastoral Care for Women Who Have Experienced Domestic Violence

 

I am Connie Beverly Austin, a doctoral student under the supervision of Dr. Pamela Sitton in the College of Doctoral Studies at Grand Canyon University.

The purpose of this study is to explore how pastors describe the personal and pastoral care they offer to women who have experienced domestic violence.

Key Information: This document defines the terms and conditions for consent to participate in this research study.

You can participate in this study if you: Pastor or have previously served as a pastor. Live in the Great Plains Region states as Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Missouri, Colorado, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona of the United States. Have been recruited from the link on the PastorCare page or through a director or representative of PastorCare. Counseled at least one woman in domestic violence. Answer demographic questions concerning denomination, number of years as a pastor, number of women counseled, and size of the largest congregation.

 You cannot participate in this study if you: You are not a pastor and have not previously served as a pastor. You have not counseled any woman who has experienced domestic violence. Refuse to be recorded. 

Research Activities:  What am I being asked to do?
 Go to   https://www.pastorcare.org /  and click on the banner “Pastor We Need Your Expertise” link on the first page. The link will lead you to the researcher’s site where you will

1. Sign the Informed Consent (Online).

2. Complete a demographic survey concerning your denomination,  number of years as a pastor, number of women counseled, and the size of your largest congregation size (3-5 minutes).

3. Sign up for an interview or focus group (Online).

4. Leave contact information.  (Online). 5. Participate in an interview which will include questions on domestic violence. (The interview will take approximately 45-60 minutes). 6. Participate in a focus group that involves participating in a group discussion on domestic violence. ( The focus group will take approximately 60-90 minutes).

Where?- The demographic survey will be completed online. The interviews and focus groups will be held in the privacy of your home, office, or a place of your choice.

How? The demographic data will be collected using an online survey using a secure research platform called SurveyMonkey.

 The interviews and focus groups will be via Zoom video conferencing system. If participants do not have access to Zoom then interviews can be conducted by phone or in person.