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Phelps AJ, Adler AB, Belanger SAH, Bennett C, Cramm H, Dell L, Fikretoglu D, Forbes D, Heber A, Hosseiny F, Morganstein JC, Murphy D, Nazarov A, Pedlar D, Richardson JD, Sadler N, Williamson V, Greenberg N, Jetly R. Addressing moral injury in the military. BMJ Mil Health 2024; 170:51-55. [PMID: 35705259 DOI: 10.1136/bmjmilitary-2022-002128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2022] [Accepted: 06/04/2022] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
Moral injury is a relatively new, but increasingly studied, construct in the field of mental health, particularly in relation to current and ex-serving military personnel. Moral injury refers to the enduring psychosocial, spiritual or ethical harms that can result from exposure to high-stakes events that strongly clash with one's moral beliefs. There is a pressing need for further research to advance understanding of the nature of moral injury; its relationship to mental disorders such as posttraumatic stress disorder and depression; triggering events and underpinning mechanisms; and prevalence, prevention and treatment. In the meantime, military leaders have an immediate need for guidance on how moral injury should be addressed and, where possible, prevented. Such guidance should be theoretically sound, evidence-informed and ethically responsible. Further, the implementation of any practice change based on the guidance should contribute to the advancement of science through robust evaluation. This paper draws together current research on moral injury, best-practice approaches in the adjacent field of psychological resilience, and principles of effective implementation and evaluation. This research is combined with the military and veteran mental health expertise of the authors to provide guidance on the design, implementation and evaluation of moral injury interventions in the military. The paper discusses relevant training in military ethical practice, as well as the key roles leaders have in creating cohesive teams and having frank discussions about the moral and ethical challenges that military personnel face.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea J Phelps
- Phoenix Australia Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Carlton, Victoria, Australia
| | - A B Adler
- Center for Military Psychiatry and Neuroscience, Walter Reed Army Institute of Research, Silver Spring, Maryland, USA
| | - S A H Belanger
- Royal Military College of Canada, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
- Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
| | - C Bennett
- New Zealand Defence Force, Wellington, New Zealand
| | - H Cramm
- School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
| | - L Dell
- Phoenix Australia Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Carlton, Victoria, Australia
| | - D Fikretoglu
- Defence Research and Development Canada, Toronto Research Centre, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | - D Forbes
- Phoenix Australia Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Carlton, Victoria, Australia
| | - A Heber
- Veterans Affairs Canada, Charottetown, Prince Edward Island, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - F Hosseiny
- Canadian Centre of Excellence on PTSD and Related Mental Health Conditions, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | - J C Morganstein
- Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - D Murphy
- Combat Stress, Leatherhead, UK
- King's Centre for Military Health Research, King's College London, London, UK
| | - A Nazarov
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neurosciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
- MacDonald Franklin Operational Stress Injury Research Centre, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - D Pedlar
- Canadian Institute for Military and Veteran Health Research, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
- School of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada
| | - J D Richardson
- MacDonald Franklin Operational Stress Injury Research Centre, Lawson Health Research Institute, London, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Psychiatry, Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
| | - N Sadler
- Phoenix Australia Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Carlton, Victoria, Australia
| | - V Williamson
- Institute of Psychiatry Psychology, and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK
- Department of Experimental Psychology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - N Greenberg
- King's Centre for Military Health Research, King's College London, London, UK
| | - R Jetly
- Institute of Mental Health Research, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
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Lau W, Chisholm K, Gallagher M, Felmingham K, Murray K, Pearce A, Doyle N, Alexander S, O'Brien H, Putica A, Khatri J, Bockelmann P, Hosseiny F, Librado A, Notarianni M, O'Donnell M. Comparing the unified protocol for transdiagnostic treatment of emotional disorders to prolonged exposure for the treatment of PTSD: Design of a non-inferiority randomized controlled trial. Contemp Clin Trials Commun 2023; 33:101134. [PMID: 37228903 PMCID: PMC10205430 DOI: 10.1016/j.conctc.2023.101134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Revised: 03/21/2023] [Accepted: 04/10/2023] [Indexed: 05/27/2023] Open
Abstract
Background Prolonged Exposure (PE), a trauma-focused therapy, is one of the most efficacious treatments available for PTSD. However, many people with PTSD do not lose their diagnosis following delivery of PE. The Unified Protocol (UP) for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders is a non-trauma focused treatment that may offer an alternative treatment for PTSD. Methods This paper describes the study protocol for IMPACT, an assessor-blinded randomized controlled trial that examines the non-inferiority of UP relative to PE for participants who meet DSM-5 criteria for current PTSD. One hundred and twenty adult participants with PTSD will be randomized to receive either 10 × 90-min sessions of UP or PE with a trained provider. The primary outcome is severity of PTSD symptoms assessed by the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5) at post-treatment. Discussion While evidence-based treatments are available for PTSD, high levels of treatment dropout and non-response require new approaches to be tested. The UP is based on emotion regulation theory and is effective in treating anxiety and depressive disorders, however, there has been limited application to PTSD. This is the first rigorous study comparing UP to PE in a non-inferiority randomized controlled trial and may help improve clinical outcomes for those with PTSD. Trial registration This trial was prospectively registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, Trial ID (ACTRN12619000543189).
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Affiliation(s)
- W. Lau
- Phoenix Australia – Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - K. Chisholm
- Phoenix Australia – Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - M.W. Gallagher
- Department of Psychology, The University of Houston, TX, USA
| | - K. Felmingham
- Melbourne School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - K. Murray
- Phoenix Australia – Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - A. Pearce
- Phoenix Australia – Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - N. Doyle
- Phoenix Australia – Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - S. Alexander
- Phoenix Australia – Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - H. O'Brien
- Phoenix Australia – Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - A. Putica
- Phoenix Australia – Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - J. Khatri
- Canberra Health Services, Australian Capital Territory Government, Canberra, Australia
| | - P. Bockelmann
- Phoenix Australia – Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
| | - F. Hosseiny
- Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families, Ottawa, Canada
- University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at The Royal, Canada
| | - A. Librado
- Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families, Ottawa, Canada
| | - M. Notarianni
- Atlas Institute for Veterans and Families, Ottawa, Canada
- University of Ottawa Institute of Mental Health Research at The Royal, Canada
| | - M.L. O'Donnell
- Phoenix Australia – Centre for Posttraumatic Mental Health, Department of Psychiatry, The University of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
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