Morally injurious experiences and mental health: The moderating role of self-compassion.

INTRODUCTION

Military veterans are at heightened risk for developing mental and behavioral health problems. Morally injurious combat experiences have recently gained empirical and clinical attention following the increased rates of mental and behavioral health problems observed in this population.

OBJECTIVE

Extending extant research, the current investigation assessed the relationship between morally injurious experiences and mental and behavioral health outcomes. Furthermore, it examined the potential protective role of self-compassion in these relationships.

METHOD

Participants were 203 military veterans (M age = 35.08 years, 77.30% male) who completed online questionnaires.

RESULTS

Analyses indicated that self-compassion significantly moderated the relationship between exposure to morally injurious experiences and posttraumatic stress disorder, depression severity, and deliberate self-harm versatility.

CONCLUSIONS

These results highlight the potential clinical utility of self-compassion in military mental health, particularly in the context of morally injurious experiences. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).