University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, USA.
Oklahoma Tobacco Research Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA.
J Interpers Violence. 2022 Jun;37(11-12):NP10007-NP10035. doi: 10.1177/0886260520985485. Epub 2021 Jan 12.
Moral injury is an array of symptoms theorized to develop in response to morally injurious events, defined as events that challenge one's core moral beliefs and expectations about the self, others, and world. Recent measures of moral injury have distinguished self-directed moral injury (e.g., moral injury symptoms that emerge following the perpetration of morally injurious events) from other-directed moral injury, the symptoms of which are believed to stem from one's response to actions that others have committed (e.g., within-rank violence, failures of leadership, and acts of betrayal committed by trusted others or institutions). Using a convenience sample of 154 primarily former military women, the present study examined if other-directed moral injury symptoms (e.g., anger, betrayal, and mistrust) associated with military experience would mediate the association between military sexual harassment and mental health and substance abuse symptoms. Results demonstrated that 85.8% ( = 127) of the of this sample of women veterans reported experiencing sexual harassment during their military service. Using a single mediation model, we further demonstrated that other-directed moral injury mediated the association between sexual harassment experience and mental health symptoms. Given the percentage of women veterans who reported sexual harassment, these results suggest that additional training for military members, and particularly, military leaders, is necessary to begin to reduce sexual harassment. In addition, mental health providers who work with current and former military members should consider how other-directed moral injury may be associated with mental health symptoms among women veterans who have experienced sexual harassment while in the military.
道德伤害是一系列症状，据推测是由于道德伤害事件而产生的，这些事件挑战了一个人对自己、他人和世界的核心道德信仰和期望。最近的道德伤害测量方法将自我导向的道德伤害（例如，在实施道德伤害事件后出现的道德伤害症状）与他人导向的道德伤害区分开来，后者的症状被认为源于人们对他人行为的反应（例如，等级内暴力、领导失败以及受信任的他人或机构的背叛行为）。本研究使用 154 名主要是前军人女性的方便样本，检验了他人导向的道德伤害症状（例如愤怒、背叛和不信任）是否与军事经历相关，以及这些症状是否与军事性骚扰和心理健康及物质滥用症状有关。结果表明，该女性退伍军人样本中有 85.8%（=127）报告在服兵役期间遭受过性骚扰。使用单一中介模型，我们进一步表明，他人导向的道德伤害中介了性骚扰经历与心理健康症状之间的关系。鉴于有报告性骚扰的女性退伍军人的比例，这些结果表明，需要对军人，特别是对军事领导人进行更多的培训，以开始减少性骚扰。此外，与现役和退役军人一起工作的心理健康提供者应考虑在军队中经历过性骚扰的女性退伍军人的心理健康症状与他人导向的道德伤害之间的关系。
