Abstract
Background: Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is often reported by refugees that faced violence and persecution. Some stressful events may also entail moral conflicts or dilemmas, described as “potentially morally injurious events” (PMIE). Very few studies have yet investigated the nature of these PMIEs in traumatized refugees, using both quantitative and qualitative data. Method: For this retrospective study, secondary data analysis was used to examine the traumatic events of 183 patients. Based on established definitions of a PMIE, participants were allocated to a Moral Injury (MI) group if they reported lasting distress after exposure to an event of which they indicated that it transgressed their moral beliefs. The remaining participants were allocated to the No-MI group. The type of PMIEs was categorized using qualitative analysis. The groups were compared in terms of PTSD severity, feelings of guilt, and general mental health symptoms. Results: Of the total sample, 55 participants reported one or more acts of transgression (MI group) and 128 reported no acts of transgression (No-MI group). Analyses of PMIEs revealed six themes 1) failing to prevent harm to others, 2) not giving aid to people in need, 3) leaving family members behind that consequently lead to injury or death of others, 4) making indirect and direct moral decisions leading to injury or death of others, 5) betrayal, and 6) engaging in the harm of others. No differences were found between groups on the clinical outcomes, except for feelings of guilt. Conclusion: A considerable number of traumatized refugees reported confrontation with PMIEs. Experiencing PMIEs appeared unrelated to elevated posttraumatic mental health issues.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 904808 |
| Pages (from-to) | 1-10 |
| Journal | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| Volume | 13 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 8 Sept 2022 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The authors would like to thank LNCMICNRS, a member of the European Magnetic Field Laboratory (EMFL) and Dr. Javier Claude for their help in the work and the opportunity to carry out experiments in strong magnetic fields. The authors would like to thank Galina Zakharova for her help in preparing the samples, the employees of the Research Center of the Kurchatov Institute, Valentin Guryev and Maria Polikarpova for measuring the critical currents, and Mansur Nasibulin for his direct participation in the production of NbSn superconductors and discussion of the obtained results. Scanning electron microscopy was performed by V.V. Artemov using the equipment of the Center for Collective Use of Federal Research Center “Crystallography and Photonics” of the Russian Academy of Sciences with the support of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, project no. RFMEFI62119X0035. 3
Publisher Copyright:
Copyright © 2022 Mooren, Boelen and de la Rie.
Funding
The authors would like to thank LNCMICNRS, a member of the European Magnetic Field Laboratory (EMFL) and Dr. Javier Claude for their help in the work and the opportunity to carry out experiments in strong magnetic fields. The authors would like to thank Galina Zakharova for her help in preparing the samples, the employees of the Research Center of the Kurchatov Institute, Valentin Guryev and Maria Polikarpova for measuring the critical currents, and Mansur Nasibulin for his direct participation in the production of NbSn superconductors and discussion of the obtained results. Scanning electron microscopy was performed by V.V. Artemov using the equipment of the Center for Collective Use of Federal Research Center “Crystallography and Photonics” of the Russian Academy of Sciences with the support of the Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation, project no. RFMEFI62119X0035. 3
Keywords
- guilt
- moral injury
- moral stress
- PTSD
- refugees
