Moral Injury: An Overview of Conceptual, Definitional, Assessment, and Treatment Issues

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Trauma Studies

Background:

• Moral injury (MI) is a growing concern, marked by morally distressing emotions, beliefs, and behaviors.
• It stems from personal transgressions, witnessing, or experiencing inhumanity.
• Limited research previously existed on MI's causes, consequences, and effective interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To provide background on the history and definition of moral injury.
• To critically review existing assessment tools for measuring MI.
• To present a social-functional theory of MI etiology and a rehabilitation approach.

Main Methods:

• Literature review on moral injury.
• Critical analysis of MI assessment tools.
• Development of a social-functional theory and rehabilitation model.

Main Results:

• Established clear definitions and historical context for MI.
• Identified and evaluated various methods for assessing MI.
• Proposed a theoretical framework for understanding MI's origins.
• Outlined a practical, clinician-agnostic rehabilitation strategy.

Conclusions:

• Moral injury is a significant clinical problem requiring reliable measurement and effective interventions.
• A social-functional approach offers a theoretical basis and practical treatment strategy.
• The proposed rehabilitation method focuses on prosocial experiences and relationships to promote healing.