TY - JOUR
PY - 2021//
TI - Patterns of distress associated with exposure to potentially morally injurious events among Canadian Armed Forces service members and veterans: a multi-method analysis
JO - Journal of clinical psychology (Hoboken)
A1 - Houle, Stephanie A.
A1 - Vincent, Colin
A1 - Jetly, Rakesh
A1 - Ashbaugh, Andrea R.
SP - ePub
EP - ePub
VL - ePub
IS - ePub
N2 - OBJECTIVE: This study describes patterns of distress associated with exposure to potentially morally injurious experiences (PMIEs) in a Canadian military sample.
METHOD: Thematic analysis was performed on interviews from PMIE-exposed military members and Veterans. Participants also completed structured diagnostic interviews, and measures of trauma exposure and psychopathology. Multiple regression examined associations among these variables. Information on pharmacological treatment and past diagnoses are reported.
RESULTS: Eight qualitative themes were identified: changes in moral attitudes, increased sensitivity and reactivity to moral situations, loss of trust, disruptions in identity, disruptions in spirituality, disruptions in interpersonal relatedness, rumination, and internalizing and externalizing emotions and behaviors. Self-report data revealed that degree of PMIE exposure was meaningfully associated with posttraumatic stress disorder.
CONCLUSION: Qualitative but not quantitative findings supported existing models of moral injury (MI). Additional research is needed to examine the impact of PMIE type on mental health, and to test basic assumptions of MI theory.
Language: en
LA - en SN - 0021-9762 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/jclp.23205 ID - ref1 ER -