Resilience in diversity: a restricted range of roles is associated with more severe moral injury

Moral injury is a potentially deleterious mental health outcome that can follow exposure to events that challenge one's moral code. Theoretical models suggest a multi-faceted self-concept may support adaptation following such events. However, little is known about the relationship between self-concept complexity and outcomes following potentially morally injurious events.

This cross-sectional study investigated hypothesized relationships between self-concept complexity and outcomes in adults (n=172) exposed to potentially morally injurious events.

Participants completed validated measures of event-related distress, traumatic stress, depression and anxiety, and a self-complexity task in which they provided multiple descriptors of their self-concept. Responses were coded for overall diversity, defined as number of categories of self-descriptors, and role diversity, defined as number of social and activity-based roles.

Multiple regression analyses found greater role diversity independently predicted lower event-related distress, while overall self-diversity and total number of self-descriptors did not.

Findings indicate diversity in active facets of the self (e.g. relational or activity-based roles) may buffer the effects of a potentially morally injurious event.