TY - JOUR
PY - 2023//
TI - Moral injury appraisals and dissociation: associations in a sample of trauma-exposed community members
JO - Journal of trauma and dissociation
A1 - Lathan, Emma C.
A1 - Sheikh, Ifrah S.
A1 - Guelfo, Alfonsina
A1 - Choucair, Khaled C.
A1 - Fulton, Travis
A1 - Julian, Jacob
A1 - Mekawi, Yara
A1 - Currier, Joseph M.
A1 - Powers, Abigail
A1 - Fani, Negar
SP - ePub
EP - ePub
VL - ePub
IS - ePub
N2 - Appraisal of trauma is a critical factor in the development of impairing post-traumatic stress symptoms, such as dissociation. Individuals may appraise trauma as morally injurious (i.e., moral injury exposure [MIE]) and experience subsequent moral distress related to this exposure (i.e., moral injury distress [MID]). To date, however, investigation into the relations between moral injury appraisals and dissociation has been limited, particularly within community populations. This study investigated MIE and MID in relation to six facets of dissociation (disengagement, depersonalization, derealization, memory disturbances, emotional constriction, identity dissociation) in a sample of trauma-exposed community members (n = 177, 58.2% Black, 89.3% female) recruited from a public hospital and/or community advertisements. Participants completed measures assessing trauma exposure, MIE, MID, dissociation, and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms. Partial correlation analyses revealed that after controlling for PTSD symptoms, MIE was correlated with disengagement, r = .23, p ≤ .025, and depersonalization, r = .25, p ≤ .001, and MID was correlated with depersonalization, r = .19, p ≤ .025. Sex moderated each association, with stronger associations observed for female participants.
FINDINGS suggest that moral injury appraisals are linked to more severe dissociative symptoms among female civilians, and as such, may need to be specifically targeted in empirically supported treatments. Language: en
LA - en
SN - 1529-9732
UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15299732.2023.2231010
ID - ref1
ER -