{"title":"Moral injury among first responders: Experience, effects, and advice in their own words.","authors":"Leanne K Knobloch, Jenny L Owens","doi":"10.1037/ser0000838","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<p><p><i>Moral injury</i> is a serious concern among first responders. Not only does moral injury occur with notable frequency among first response groups such as police, fire safety, and emergency medical personnel, but it also poses considerable mental health challenges. Despite a recent explosion of research on moral injury, the literature would benefit from a systematic investigation of how first responders describe their experiences in their own words. We conducted semistructured interviews with 36 graduates of a first responder trauma healing course. Participants described moral injury as (a) a byproduct of being a first responder, (b) occurring frequently but being difficult to identify, and (c) involving feelings of helplessness and guilt. Effects of moral injury included (a) wide-ranging negative consequences, (b) diminished self-esteem, (c) isolation from and suspicion of others, and (d) spiritual distress. When asked about the advice they would give to other people experiencing moral injury, first responders recommended (a) talking openly about the experience of moral injury, (b) being proactive in seeking help, (c) breaking free from the stigma of needing assistance, and (d) building a network of support. Taken together, these results suggest important guidelines for helping first responders cope with the aftermath of moral injury. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).</p>","PeriodicalId":20749,"journal":{"name":"Psychological Services","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":1.9000,"publicationDate":"2024-08-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Psychological Services","FirstCategoryId":"102","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1037/ser0000838","RegionNum":3,"RegionCategory":"心理学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"2024/1/25 0:00:00","PubModel":"Epub","JCR":"Q3","JCRName":"PSYCHOLOGY, CLINICAL","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
Moral injury is a serious concern among first responders. Not only does moral injury occur with notable frequency among first response groups such as police, fire safety, and emergency medical personnel, but it also poses considerable mental health challenges. Despite a recent explosion of research on moral injury, the literature would benefit from a systematic investigation of how first responders describe their experiences in their own words. We conducted semistructured interviews with 36 graduates of a first responder trauma healing course. Participants described moral injury as (a) a byproduct of being a first responder, (b) occurring frequently but being difficult to identify, and (c) involving feelings of helplessness and guilt. Effects of moral injury included (a) wide-ranging negative consequences, (b) diminished self-esteem, (c) isolation from and suspicion of others, and (d) spiritual distress. When asked about the advice they would give to other people experiencing moral injury, first responders recommended (a) talking openly about the experience of moral injury, (b) being proactive in seeking help, (c) breaking free from the stigma of needing assistance, and (d) building a network of support. Taken together, these results suggest important guidelines for helping first responders cope with the aftermath of moral injury. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).
期刊介绍:
Psychological Services publishes high-quality data-based articles on the broad range of psychological services. While the Division"s focus is on psychologists in "public service," usually defined as being employed by a governmental agency, Psychological Services covers the full range of psychological services provided in any service delivery setting. Psychological Services encourages submission of papers that focus on broad issues related to psychotherapy outcomes, evaluations of psychological service programs and systems, and public policy analyses.