Treatment of Moral Injury in U.S. Veterans with PTSD Using a Structured Chaplain Intervention

Moral injury is a complex phenomenon characterized by spiritual, psychological, and moral distress caused by actions or acts of omission inconsistent with an individual’s moral and ethical values. We present two cases from an ongoing randomized controlled trial of a spiritually integrated structured...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of religion and health 2021-10, Vol.60 (5), p.3052-3060
Main Authors: Ames, Donna, Erickson, Zachary, Geise, Chelsea, Tiwari, Suchi, Sakhno, Sergii, Sones, Alexander C., Tyrrell, Chaplain Geoffrey, Mackay, Chaplain Robert B., Steele, Chaplain William, Van Hoof, Therese, Weinreich, Heidi, Koenig, Harold G.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aging
Clergy
Clinical Psychology
Humans
Medicine
Medicine & Public Health
Military Personnel
Moral injury
Morals
ORIGINAL PAPER
Post traumatic stress disorder
Public Health
Religious Studies
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - complications
Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic - therapy
Veterans
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Summary:Moral injury is a complex phenomenon characterized by spiritual, psychological, and moral distress caused by actions or acts of omission inconsistent with an individual’s moral and ethical values. We present two cases from an ongoing randomized controlled trial of a spiritually integrated structured intervention delivered by chaplains for individuals suffering from moral injury. Chaplains met with Veterans for twelve 50-min sessions that each focused on a specific domain of moral injury. Participants were asked to complete validated scales assessing symptoms of moral injury and PTSD, including the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), Moral Injury Symptom Scale-Military Version Short Form, and Moral Injury Symptom Scale-Military Version Long Form. We report on two Veterans who completed the intervention and demonstrated significant improvement in moral injury and PTSD symptoms.
ISSN:0022-4197
1573-6571
1573-6571
DOI:10.1007/s10943-021-01312-8