Moving the field forward on moral injury: Possibilities and pitfalls of experimental research

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Psychiatry
• Behavioral Economics

Background:

• Current research on moral injury (MI) predominantly uses retrospective, cross-sectional observational studies.
• This limits understanding of causal mechanisms linking potentially morally injurious events (PMIEs) to MI.
• Existing experimental methods in psychopathology lack ecological validity for modeling MI-relevant behaviors.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose novel research designs for advancing causal inference in moral injury.
• To address limitations in current study designs for investigating the relationship between PMIEs and MI.
• To enhance the ecological validity of experimental paradigms for studying moral decision-making.

Main Methods:

• Leveraging natural experiments to examine real-world exposure to PMIEs and associated MI outcomes.
• Developing novel experimental paradigms using behavioral economic games to ethically model moral transgressions.
• Integrating observational and experimental approaches for robust causal inference.

Main Results:

• The proposed methods offer pathways to overcome limitations of current research designs.
• Natural experiments allow for studying PMIEs in real-world contexts.
• Behavioral economic games provide a controlled yet ethical environment for modeling moral decision-making.

Conclusions:

• Advancing causal inference in moral injury research necessitates innovative study designs.
• Combining natural experiments with behavioral economic games can significantly enhance our understanding of MI.
• These approaches promise to improve the ecological validity and ethical modeling of moral injury relevant phenomena.