Relationships among Combat Experience, Moral Injury, and Mental Health Outcomes

Nearly two million military members have deployed in support of the continued conflicts in Iraq (Operation Iraqi Freedom, OIF) and Afghanistan (Operation Enduring Freedom, OEF) and Operation New Dawn (OND) (Campbell and Riggs 2015). We as a society have become more aware of the effects of war. For example, we know that military members who have engaged in combat are far more likely to be diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, and depression. Yet there are many unanswered questions related to the psychological treatment and interventions developed for those who have served in the Armed Forces as well as the reduction and prevention of the completion of suicide in this community. The current statistics state that twenty-two veterans a day die from suicide (Department of Veterans Affairs 2017). This body of work is dedicated to the impact that war can pose on those who have served in the Armed Forces and aims to shine a light on the impact that moral injury can pose.

by Leanne Komnick, Psy.D.

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