The Impact of Moral Injury and Disclosure of Military Experiences on Veterans
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6436124 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Richard E La Fleur (0000-0003-3652-3535, University of West Georgia, Carrollton, GA, USA, corresponding author), Marycatherine Mcdonald (Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA, USA), Gary Senecal (College of the Holy Cross), Charles A Coey (Harvard University), Charles Coey (Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 65 |
| Issue | 6 |
| Pages | 1228-1249 |
| Publication date | 2020-11-20 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Journal of Humanistic Psychology (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0022-1678 • E-ISSN: 1552-650X |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0022167820972214 |
| OpenAlex | W3107165129 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 2 |
| References cited | 44 |
While many veterans face physical, psychological, and spiritual difficulties, research suggests that the reintegration process from military service to civilian life is a complex one. Our study focused on the role of moral injury and the disclosure of military experience in this transition, and how they might combine to affect veterans’ life satisfaction. We gave a battery of surveys to a large and diverse sample of veterans, measuring aspects of military culture and service, the moral ramifications of military experiences and attitudes and experiences with disclosing these experiences to civilians. Most important, we found that greater moral injury was associated with greater concerns about disclosure. Greater disclosure concerns were associated with lower perceptions of disclosure support, which in turn was associated with lower life satisfaction. We conclude that these findings suggest that a more nuanced account is required to fully understand the relationship between moral injury, disclosure attitudes, and life satisfaction. For promoting healthy reintegration and greater satisfaction with life, and we discuss several possibilities for future research
Affect (linguistics · Life satisfaction · Military personnel · Military service · Moral injury · Perception · Political science · Service (business · Healthcare professionals’ stress and burnout · Law · Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research · Psychology · Resilience and Mental Health · Social Psychology
When Veterans Return
A Review of Research on Moral Injury in Combat Veterans
Initial Psychometric Evaluation of the Moral Injury Questionnaire—Military Version
Covid-19 and experiences of moral injury in front-line key workers
Defining and assessing moral injury
Reintegration Problems and Treatment Interests Among Iraq and Afghanistan Combat Veterans Receiving VA Medical Care
Target Article
Moral injury and moral repair in war veterans
The Satisfaction With Life Scale
Religious Considerations and Self-Forgiveness in Treating Complex Trauma and Moral Injury in Present and Former Soldiers
The Moral Injury Symptom Scale-Military Version
Military couples’ trauma disclosure
Accessible Spiritual Practices to Aid in Recovery from Moral Injury
Sustaining Lamentation for Military Moral Injury
Experimental disclosure and its moderators
Collective stories and well-being
| Citations per year | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2024 - 2026 (3) |
| Highly cited | No |