TY - JOUR PY - 2011// TI - An Exploration of the Viability and Usefulness of the Construct of Moral Injury in War Veterans JO - Traumatology A1 - Drescher, Kent D. A1 - Foy, David W. A1 - Kelly, Caroline A1 - Leshner, Anna A1 - Schutz, Kerrie A1 - Litz, Brett SP - 8 EP - 13 VL - 17 IS - 1 N2 - It is widely recognized that, along with physical and psychological injuries, war profoundly affects veterans spiritually and morally. However, research about the link between combat and changes in morality and spirituality is lacking. Moral injury is a construct that we have proposed to describe disruption in an individual's sense of personal morality and capacity to behave in a just manner. As a first step in construct validation, we asked a diverse group of health and religious professionals with many years of service to active duty warriors and veterans to provide commentary about moral injury. Respondents were given a semistructured interview and their responses were sorted. The transcripts were used to clarify the range of potentially and morally injurious experiences in war and the lasting sequelae of these experiences. There was strong support for the usefulness of the moral injury concept; however, respondents chiefly found our working definition to be inadequate.
LA - en SN - 1534-7656 UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/1534765610395615 ID - ref1 ER -