Moral Injury-informed Interventions May Enhance Treatment for Combat Veterans

“Moral and mortal stressors may be intertwined in their contribution to the complex symptomatic outcomes” of combat exposure according to a recent study in the European Journal of Psychotraumatology. The study examined the effect moral injury has on Israel Defense Forces (IDF) combat veterans. The resulting trauma may be consolidated in a single category, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but stressors leading to that diagnosis may have been quite different. Properly defining the stressors to assist in better targeted treatment is a challenge.

Moral injury is the emotional distress of being involved in or witnessing actions that conflict with deeply held beliefs. Such experiences could be committing or failing to prevent a transgressive act or learning about or surviving a transgressive act.

The study defines moral injury outcomes as the psychological and emotional consequences that result from exposure to potentially morally injurious events (PMIEs): “This terminology is intended to distinguish the outcomes of moral injury from the broader and sometimes ambiguous use of ‘moral injury’ in the literature, which can refer to either the event, the experience, or the resulting symptoms.”

The study followed 374 male combat veterans for 5 years. Veterans served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in 4 primary combat roles: infantry, armored corps, special forces, and combat engineering. Psychological characteristics were measured 12 months prior to enlistment. PMIE exposure was measured during the final month of military service using the Moral Injury Events Scale. Moral injury outcomes were assessed 6 months postdischarge using the Expressions of Moral Injury Scale-Military Version-Short Form. Posttraumatic stress symptom (PTSS) clusters were evaluated 1 year postdischarge using the PTSD Checklist for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. 

Nearly half (49%) of participants reported exposure to PMIEs, while 8% met criteria for probable PTSD. The researchers say elevated PMIE rates observed in their sample may be attributed, in part, to participants’ extended deployments in densely populated urban areas, carrying out operations in close proximity to civilians, where it is difficult to distinguish between combatants and noncombatants. PTSD rates were somewhat lower than those reported in US studies (10% to 30%) among veterans; this may be attributed to the cohort not being engaged in a full-scale war, but deployed mostly in peacekeeping missions.

Longitudinal studies have described the effects of wartime atrocities on PTSD symptom severity. Studies have also linked moral injury outcomes and PTSS clusters (including negative alterations in cognition and mood [NACM]), depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. PMIEs can also include perceptions of betrayal from leaders, colleagues, or trusted others. The study of 374 male combat veterans found a direct effect of PMIE-betrayal on arousal and reactivity as well as NACM clusters. Results also showed indirect associations between exposure to all PMIE dimensions and PTSS clusters via moral injury outcomes. Combat exposure and experiencing PMIEs during military service significantly contributed to the emergence of PTSS during the first year after discharge. The study found 2 distinct paths PMIEs may lead to PTSS among veterans: experiencing acts of transgression and encountering betrayal. 

Betrayal has been linked to feelings of anger and humiliation, emotions thought to have evolved to trigger adaptive behavioral responses, such as aggression and revenge, to threats or transgressions by others. PMIE-betrayal also demonstrated direct effects on the arousal and reactivity and NACM symptom clusters, suggesting partial mediation. Another study (also on IDF veterans) found significant positive correlations between PMIE-betrayal and the NACM cluster, suggesting PMIE-betrayal as a link between PTSD and moral injury. While the link between betrayal and NACM is readily apparent, its connection to arousal and reactivity, a fear-based physiological symptom, is less evident. 

The findings of the study point to the need for assessment tools that separately measure exposure to PMIEs and individual reactions to them. A recent Federal Practitioner study of 100 veterans with a history of incarceration completed the Moral Injury Events Scale and an adapted version for legal-involved persons (MIES-LIP). The authors found that MIES-LIP demonstrated strong psychometric properties, including good reliability and convergent validity for legal-related moral injury.

The study cites a recent review of cognitive-behavioral psychotherapies for individuals experiencing moral injury that challenges the adequacy of existing evidence-based treatments for PTSD for addressing moral injury and its associated symptoms. It is important to evaluate individuals who express feelings of betrayal with tailored, evidence-based interventions such as adaptive disclosure or cognitive-processing therapy. Acceptance and commitment therapy may also help individuals experiencing emotions such as shame, humiliation, guilt, and anger following morally injurious events.

Newer therapy models like Multi-Modal Motion-Assisted Memory Desensitization and Reconsolidation allow clinicians to use personalized trauma cues to facilitate memory processing, reduce avoidance, and aid in emotional reconsolidation. Clinical research has demonstrated this model’s efficacy in reducing PTSD symptoms, depression, and anxiety, with high acceptability and low dropout rates among military personnel, veterans, and first responders.

Regardless of the treatment, the researchers encourage mental health professionals to approach veterans seeking help with the “utmost sensitivity and attentiveness to any expressions of (moral injury) outcomes.”

“Moral and mortal stressors may be intertwined in their contribution to the complex symptomatic outcomes” of combat exposure according to a recent study in the European Journal of Psychotraumatology. The study examined the effect moral injury has on Israel Defense Forces (IDF) combat veterans. The resulting trauma may be consolidated in a single category, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but stressors leading to that diagnosis may have been quite different. Properly defining the stressors to assist in better targeted treatment is a challenge.

Moral injury is the emotional distress of being involved in or witnessing actions that conflict with deeply held beliefs. Such experiences could be committing or failing to prevent a transgressive act or learning about or surviving a transgressive act.

The study defines moral injury outcomes as the psychological and emotional consequences that result from exposure to potentially morally injurious events (PMIEs): “This terminology is intended to distinguish the outcomes of moral injury from the broader and sometimes ambiguous use of ‘moral injury’ in the literature, which can refer to either the event, the experience, or the resulting symptoms.”

The study followed 374 male combat veterans for 5 years. Veterans served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in 4 primary combat roles: infantry, armored corps, special forces, and combat engineering. Psychological characteristics were measured 12 months prior to enlistment. PMIE exposure was measured during the final month of military service using the Moral Injury Events Scale. Moral injury outcomes were assessed 6 months postdischarge using the Expressions of Moral Injury Scale-Military Version-Short Form. Posttraumatic stress symptom (PTSS) clusters were evaluated 1 year postdischarge using the PTSD Checklist for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. 

Nearly half (49%) of participants reported exposure to PMIEs, while 8% met criteria for probable PTSD. The researchers say elevated PMIE rates observed in their sample may be attributed, in part, to participants’ extended deployments in densely populated urban areas, carrying out operations in close proximity to civilians, where it is difficult to distinguish between combatants and noncombatants. PTSD rates were somewhat lower than those reported in US studies (10% to 30%) among veterans; this may be attributed to the cohort not being engaged in a full-scale war, but deployed mostly in peacekeeping missions.

Longitudinal studies have described the effects of wartime atrocities on PTSD symptom severity. Studies have also linked moral injury outcomes and PTSS clusters (including negative alterations in cognition and mood [NACM]), depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. PMIEs can also include perceptions of betrayal from leaders, colleagues, or trusted others. The study of 374 male combat veterans found a direct effect of PMIE-betrayal on arousal and reactivity as well as NACM clusters. Results also showed indirect associations between exposure to all PMIE dimensions and PTSS clusters via moral injury outcomes. Combat exposure and experiencing PMIEs during military service significantly contributed to the emergence of PTSS during the first year after discharge. The study found 2 distinct paths PMIEs may lead to PTSS among veterans: experiencing acts of transgression and encountering betrayal. 

Betrayal has been linked to feelings of anger and humiliation, emotions thought to have evolved to trigger adaptive behavioral responses, such as aggression and revenge, to threats or transgressions by others. PMIE-betrayal also demonstrated direct effects on the arousal and reactivity and NACM symptom clusters, suggesting partial mediation. Another study (also on IDF veterans) found significant positive correlations between PMIE-betrayal and the NACM cluster, suggesting PMIE-betrayal as a link between PTSD and moral injury. While the link between betrayal and NACM is readily apparent, its connection to arousal and reactivity, a fear-based physiological symptom, is less evident. 

The findings of the study point to the need for assessment tools that separately measure exposure to PMIEs and individual reactions to them. A recent Federal Practitioner study of 100 veterans with a history of incarceration completed the Moral Injury Events Scale and an adapted version for legal-involved persons (MIES-LIP). The authors found that MIES-LIP demonstrated strong psychometric properties, including good reliability and convergent validity for legal-related moral injury.

The study cites a recent review of cognitive-behavioral psychotherapies for individuals experiencing moral injury that challenges the adequacy of existing evidence-based treatments for PTSD for addressing moral injury and its associated symptoms. It is important to evaluate individuals who express feelings of betrayal with tailored, evidence-based interventions such as adaptive disclosure or cognitive-processing therapy. Acceptance and commitment therapy may also help individuals experiencing emotions such as shame, humiliation, guilt, and anger following morally injurious events.

Newer therapy models like Multi-Modal Motion-Assisted Memory Desensitization and Reconsolidation allow clinicians to use personalized trauma cues to facilitate memory processing, reduce avoidance, and aid in emotional reconsolidation. Clinical research has demonstrated this model’s efficacy in reducing PTSD symptoms, depression, and anxiety, with high acceptability and low dropout rates among military personnel, veterans, and first responders.

Regardless of the treatment, the researchers encourage mental health professionals to approach veterans seeking help with the “utmost sensitivity and attentiveness to any expressions of (moral injury) outcomes.”

“Moral and mortal stressors may be intertwined in their contribution to the complex symptomatic outcomes” of combat exposure according to a recent study in the European Journal of Psychotraumatology. The study examined the effect moral injury has on Israel Defense Forces (IDF) combat veterans. The resulting trauma may be consolidated in a single category, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but stressors leading to that diagnosis may have been quite different. Properly defining the stressors to assist in better targeted treatment is a challenge.

Moral injury is the emotional distress of being involved in or witnessing actions that conflict with deeply held beliefs. Such experiences could be committing or failing to prevent a transgressive act or learning about or surviving a transgressive act.

The study defines moral injury outcomes as the psychological and emotional consequences that result from exposure to potentially morally injurious events (PMIEs): “This terminology is intended to distinguish the outcomes of moral injury from the broader and sometimes ambiguous use of ‘moral injury’ in the literature, which can refer to either the event, the experience, or the resulting symptoms.”

The study followed 374 male combat veterans for 5 years. Veterans served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) in 4 primary combat roles: infantry, armored corps, special forces, and combat engineering. Psychological characteristics were measured 12 months prior to enlistment. PMIE exposure was measured during the final month of military service using the Moral Injury Events Scale. Moral injury outcomes were assessed 6 months postdischarge using the Expressions of Moral Injury Scale-Military Version-Short Form. Posttraumatic stress symptom (PTSS) clusters were evaluated 1 year postdischarge using the PTSD Checklist for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition. 

Nearly half (49%) of participants reported exposure to PMIEs, while 8% met criteria for probable PTSD. The researchers say elevated PMIE rates observed in their sample may be attributed, in part, to participants’ extended deployments in densely populated urban areas, carrying out operations in close proximity to civilians, where it is difficult to distinguish between combatants and noncombatants. PTSD rates were somewhat lower than those reported in US studies (10% to 30%) among veterans; this may be attributed to the cohort not being engaged in a full-scale war, but deployed mostly in peacekeeping missions.

Longitudinal studies have described the effects of wartime atrocities on PTSD symptom severity. Studies have also linked moral injury outcomes and PTSS clusters (including negative alterations in cognition and mood [NACM]), depression, anxiety, and substance abuse. PMIEs can also include perceptions of betrayal from leaders, colleagues, or trusted others. The study of 374 male combat veterans found a direct effect of PMIE-betrayal on arousal and reactivity as well as NACM clusters. Results also showed indirect associations between exposure to all PMIE dimensions and PTSS clusters via moral injury outcomes. Combat exposure and experiencing PMIEs during military service significantly contributed to the emergence of PTSS during the first year after discharge. The study found 2 distinct paths PMIEs may lead to PTSS among veterans: experiencing acts of transgression and encountering betrayal. 

Betrayal has been linked to feelings of anger and humiliation, emotions thought to have evolved to trigger adaptive behavioral responses, such as aggression and revenge, to threats or transgressions by others. PMIE-betrayal also demonstrated direct effects on the arousal and reactivity and NACM symptom clusters, suggesting partial mediation. Another study (also on IDF veterans) found significant positive correlations between PMIE-betrayal and the NACM cluster, suggesting PMIE-betrayal as a link between PTSD and moral injury. While the link between betrayal and NACM is readily apparent, its connection to arousal and reactivity, a fear-based physiological symptom, is less evident. 

The findings of the study point to the need for assessment tools that separately measure exposure to PMIEs and individual reactions to them. A recent Federal Practitioner study of 100 veterans with a history of incarceration completed the Moral Injury Events Scale and an adapted version for legal-involved persons (MIES-LIP). The authors found that MIES-LIP demonstrated strong psychometric properties, including good reliability and convergent validity for legal-related moral injury.

The study cites a recent review of cognitive-behavioral psychotherapies for individuals experiencing moral injury that challenges the adequacy of existing evidence-based treatments for PTSD for addressing moral injury and its associated symptoms. It is important to evaluate individuals who express feelings of betrayal with tailored, evidence-based interventions such as adaptive disclosure or cognitive-processing therapy. Acceptance and commitment therapy may also help individuals experiencing emotions such as shame, humiliation, guilt, and anger following morally injurious events.

Newer therapy models like Multi-Modal Motion-Assisted Memory Desensitization and Reconsolidation allow clinicians to use personalized trauma cues to facilitate memory processing, reduce avoidance, and aid in emotional reconsolidation. Clinical research has demonstrated this model’s efficacy in reducing PTSD symptoms, depression, and anxiety, with high acceptability and low dropout rates among military personnel, veterans, and first responders.

Regardless of the treatment, the researchers encourage mental health professionals to approach veterans seeking help with the “utmost sensitivity and attentiveness to any expressions of (moral injury) outcomes.”