Research on Missionary Kids and Families: A Critical Review

The focus on the care and feeding of missionaries and their families has dramatically increased over the past quarter century. Much of the literature in this area has emphasized the practical and clinical aspects of member care. In recent years, however, several authors have pointed to the need for more and better research to support member care efforts. Richardson (1992) cites the lack of empirical evidence as an obstacle to making strong conclusions about psychopathology with missionaries while O’Donnell (1992) suggests that research is needed to identify issues of importance to missionaries and to evaluate the effectiveness of intervention efforts. Hall and Schram (1999) call for greater sophistication in member care research. As Hunter (2002, p. 475) summarizes, “research has not kept pace with the more robust clinical thrust of the mental health and missions movement.”