1
|
Suntai Z, Laha-Walsh K, Albright DL. Perspectives on a good death: A comparative study of veterans and civilians. DEATH STUDIES 2023; 48:276-285. [PMID: 37288754 DOI: 10.1080/07481187.2023.2219641] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to identify any differences between veterans and non-veterans in the importance of domains of the Good Death Inventory. Participants were recruited from Amazon Mechanical Turk to complete a Qualtrics survey on the importance of the 18 domains of the Good Death Inventory scale. Logistic regression models were then used to analyze any differences between veterans (n = 241) and nonveterans (n = 1151). Results showed that veterans (mostly aged 31-50, men, and White) were more likely to indicate that pursuing all treatment possible and maintaining their pride were important aspects of a good death. The results support other studies that have found military culture to be a significant factor in the way veterans view preferences at the end of life. Interventions may include increasing access to palliative care and hospice services for military members and veterans and providing education/training on end-of-life care for healthcare providers who work with this population.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Zainab Suntai
- Diana R. Garland School of Social Work, Baylor University, Waco, Texas, USA
| | | | - David L Albright
- School of Social Work, University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Ford CG, Smigelsky MA, Yi JY, Trimm VM, Wortmann JH, Meador KG, Nieuwsma JA. Measuring morality: Analyzing the factor structure of the moral foundations questionnaire in veterans. J Clin Psychol 2023; 79:954-968. [PMID: 36269895 DOI: 10.1002/jclp.23448] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 07/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Moral reasoning is an underexamined and potentially useful area of research relative to the care of moral injury in veterans. However, the most widely used measure of moral reasoning, the moral foundations questionnaire (MFQ), has not been validated in this population. METHODS Post-9/11 veterans (N = 311) completed questionnaires which included the MFQ. Veterans' scores were compared to the general US population. Confirmatory factor analysis was used to test existing models of the MFQ in the sample. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was also used to examine potentially improved model fits. RESULTS The two leading, preexisting MFQ models were both poor fits for the data. EFA results produced a four-factor model for the veteran sample using 25 of the original 30 items of the MFQ. CONCLUSIONS Measuring moral reasoning among veterans may be important in understanding the experience of moral injury. However, the most widely used scale (MFQ) performs poorly among a sample of post-9/11 veterans, indicating that veterans may respond differently to the measure than the general US population. Military culture may uniquely influence veterans' moral reasoning, suggesting the need for military specific measures for this construct.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Graham Ford
- Center of Innovation to Accelerate Discovery and Practice Transformation (ADAPT), Durham Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Melissa A Smigelsky
- Department of Veterans Affairs, Integrative Mental Health, Durham, North Carolina, USA.,VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC), Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jennifer Y Yi
- Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Victoria M Trimm
- Department of Veterans Affairs, Integrative Mental Health, Durham, North Carolina, USA.,VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC), Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Jennifer H Wortmann
- Department of Veterans Affairs, Integrative Mental Health, Durham, North Carolina, USA.,VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC), Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Keith G Meador
- Department of Veterans Affairs, Integrative Mental Health, Durham, North Carolina, USA.,VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC), Durham, North Carolina, USA.,Departments of Psychiatry and Health Policy, Center for Biomedical Ethics and Society, Nashville, Tennessee, USA.,Graduate Department of Religion, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Jason A Nieuwsma
- Department of Veterans Affairs, Integrative Mental Health, Durham, North Carolina, USA.,VA Mid-Atlantic Mental Illness Research, Education, and Clinical Center (MIRECC), Durham, North Carolina, USA.,Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| |
Collapse
|