What is moral injury?
The concept of moral injury has been quickly evolving since this is a relatively new area of study. Moral injury is generally known as the psychological distress following events where a person performs, witnesses, or fails to prevent acts that conflict with deeply held moral standards. Moral injury is a specific type of psychological injury encompassing feelings of shame, worthlessness, and potentially, a loss of meaning and altered self-concept.
Why do we need to study moral injury?
Evidence suggests that moral injuries are common among military personnel. Previous research, including research from our centre, has shown that military members who are exposed to potentially morally injurious events are at an elevated risk of developing adverse mental health outcomes like posttraumatic stress and depression. The research and clinical community is in its early stages of understanding what moral injury really is, how to best treat it, and how to potentially prevent it.