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.