Citation

McDaniel JT, Redner R, Jayawardene W, Haun J, Clapp J, Che D, Renzaglia K, Abou-Jabal D. J. Relig. Health 2023; ePub(ePub): ePub.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2023, Academy of Religion and Mental Health, Publisher Holtzbrinck Springer Nature Publishing Group)

DOI

10.1007/s10943-023-01905-5

PMID

37679519

Abstract

A national survey of United States veterans was conducted, yielding 252 veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and 1235 veterans without TBI. Participants were asked questions about moral injury, suicidality, substance use, and other sociodemographic variables. Multivariable linear regression analysis was used to examine the previously described relationships. Increasing severity of moral injury was associated with higher scores on the substance use tool (b = 0.02, p = 0.04), although the magnitude of effect was not different from those without TBI (Z = - 0.57, p = 0.72). Increasing severity of moral injury was positively associated with suicidal behavior scores (b = 0.10, p < 0.01). The strength of this relationship was stronger in veterans with TBI than those without TBI (Z = 1.78, p = 0.04). Rehabilitation programs that treat veterans for TBI may need to consider the evaluation of moral injury given its association with adverse events in this population.

Language: en

Keywords

Suicide; Substance use; Veterans; Traumatic brain injury; Moral injury