Stressors of Clergy Children and Couples scale – SOCC-C
Measures the unique stressors experienced by children and spouses in clergy families, focusing on public life, expectations, and isolation.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Stressors of Clergy Children and Couples scale – SOCC-C was developed by Ostrander, D. L., Ceglian, C. P., & Fournier, D. G. (1993). It is designed to measure Clergy Family Stress. The scale is intended for use with Clergy children and spouses.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 19 items organized into 4 factors/subscales: Family’s Public Life, Expectations, Family Isolation, General Stressors.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Family's Public Life | 5,6,10,15 | 4 |
| Expectations | 2,7,13,14,19 | 5 |
| Family Isolation | 4,16,18 | 3 |
| General Stressors | 1,3,8,9,11,12,17 | 7 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 0 = No, 1 = Not Upset, 2 = Little Upset, 3 = Somewhat Upset, 4 = Quite Upset, 5 = Very Upset.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 0 to 95. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Clergy Family Stress: 0 – 23
- Moderate Clergy Family Stress: 24 – 47
- High Clergy Family Stress: 48 – 71
- Very High Clergy Family Stress: 72 – 95
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Total scale alpha: 0.86, Family's Public Life: 0.749, Expectations: 0.718, Family Isolation: 0.82.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 5 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.