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Father Sindjalim defends his doctoral thesis in Developmental and Educational Psychology

Father Sindjalim defends his doctoral thesis in Developmental and Educational Psychology

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Thursday, March 19, 2026
Yesterday, Fr Elias Sindjalim Essognimam, a Togolese Comboni missionary, successfully passed the public doctoral examination in Developmental and Educational Psychology at the Pontifical Salesian University (UPS) in Rome, defending his thesis entitled Stress and Psychological Well-being Applied to the Pastoral Ministry of Priests, Religious Men and Women in Togo – The Mediating and/or Moderating Role of Francis Leslie’s Psychological Types and Intrinsic, Extrinsic and Quest Religious Orientations.

The 416-page thesis (including notes, references and bibliography), as indicated by its title, presents an exploratory and empirical study on the theme of mental health – more precisely, the psychological well-being – of priests, religious men and women engaged in pastoral ministry in the context of Togo. It is the first study conducted in Togo using the New Indices of Religious Orientation (NIRO) and the Francis Psychological Type and Emotional Temperament Scale (FPTETS).

The study aims, on the one hand, to analyse the influence of pastoral stress on psychological well-being and, on the other, to explore not only the correlations between socio-demographic factors (age, gender, years of priesthood or religious life, nationality, etc.) and the constructs used – Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Psychological Well-Being (PWB), NIRO and FPTETS – but also the mediating and/or moderating role of certain dimensions of the NIRO and FPTETS in the relationship between perceived stress and psychological well-being.

The research also seeks to outline pedagogical proposals and perspectives, with particular attention to prevention as well as psychological care. The study is structured as a quantitative investigation conducted on a sample of 316 participants from seven dioceses in Togo.

The new Doctor, Fr Elias, aged 55, was ordained a priest on 29th July 2000, after completing his theological studies in Chicago (USA). He has carried out his ministry in Togo (2000–2008) and in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (2012–2017). From 2008 to 2012 he was in Rome, where he obtained a degree in Psychology at the Institute of Psychology at the Gregoriana (PUG). In 2017 he was assigned to the Centre for Ongoing Formation at the General Curia in Rome. Since 29th June 2022 he has been one of the four General Assistants. As a member of the General Council, he is particularly responsible for the circumscriptions of Francophone Africa, the sector of formation, and the service of accompaniment of confrere students.