Examining the Association Between Moral Injury and Suicidal Behavior in Military Populations: A Systematic Review

• Published in: Journal of religion and health Vol. 62; no. 6; pp. 3904 - 3925
• Main Authors: Jamieson, Nikki, Carey, Lindsay B., Jamieson, Anthony, Maple, Myfanwy
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York Springer US 01.12.2023; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aging; Clinical Psychology; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Moral injury; Original Paper; Post traumatic stress disorder; Public Health; Religious Studies; Suicidal behavior; Suicides & suicide attempts; Systematic review; Moral injury; Suicide behavior; Veteran; Suicide; Military
• ISSN: 0022-4197; 1573-6571
• DOI: 10.1007/s10943-023-01885-6

The increasing number of suicides among military populations cannot be fully accounted for by conventional risk factors like Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). As a result, researchers and theorists propose that delving into the concept of Moral Injury could offer a more comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon of suicide. Moral Injury is not currently a recognized mental health disorder but can be associated with PTSD. Moral Injury is a multi-dimensional issue that profoundly affects emotional, psychological, behavioral, social, and spiritual well-being. The objective of this systematic review is to examine the association between Moral Injury and suicidal behavior (suicide ideation, plans and or suicide attempt) within military populations. The review will specifically concentrate on identifying and analyzing studies that have investigated the connection between these variables, with a specific focus on the context of military personnel both serving and former serving members. Of the 2214 articles identified as part of this review, 12 studies satisfied the research criteria with a total participant sample having an average age of 40.7 years. The male population accounted for 78.6% of the overall sample. Two studies were identified as high-quality, while the remaining ten were rated as moderate. The analysis of these twelve studies consistently affirms a connection between Moral Injury and suicidal behavior; most obviously, that exposure to morally injurious events substantially amplify the risk of suicide, with higher levels of potential exposure being linked to increased Moral Injury and heightened levels of suicidal behavior. Our review uncovered noteworthy findings regarding the association between Moral Injury and suicidal behavior, marking a pioneering effort in exploring this association and offering valuable insights into this emerging issue. Several limitations are noted regarding this review and recommendations are made concerning the need to prioritize, expand and employ longitudinal research designs that include non-military populations such as first responders (e.g., police, paramedics, firefighters) and medical, nursing, or allied health professionals—all disciplines known to be impacted by Moral Injury.