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" Generational Differences in Moral Injury: Comparing Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans "
Walsh, Jessica
Brown, Lisa
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Latin Dissertation
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| Language of Document
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English
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| Record Number
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1058692
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| Doc. No
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TL57809
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| Main Entry
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Walsh, Jessica
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| Title & Author
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Generational Differences in Moral Injury: Comparing Vietnam to Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans\ Walsh, JessicaBrown, Lisa
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| College
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Palo Alto University
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| Date
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2019
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| Degree
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Ph.D.
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2019
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| Note
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94 p.
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| Abstract
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For time immemorial, service members have faced ethical quandaries on the battlefield; however, stark sociopolitical differences exist between the Vietnam War and our current Global War on Terror. Linked with shame, anger, guilt, demoralization, self-loathing, self-handicapping behaviors, poor self-care, and withdrawal, the repercussions of moral injury are manifold. The psychological impact of these combat-related transgressions, while increasingly discussed, is seldom investigated empirically. While few studies still have examined generational differences between service eras, to date, no studies have investigated generational differences in moral injury. To address this gap, this study evaluated the relationship between service era (Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom versus Vietnam) and moral injury (specifically perceived betrayal by others, transgressions committed by others, and transgressions committed by the self), exposure to post-battle experiences, exposure to killing experiences, and killing cognitions (specifically the subdomains of shame, self-blame, and sense of contamination and self-loathing). Participants were 147 Veterans (Vietnam Veterans, N = 79; OEF/OIF Veterans, N = 68) recruited from the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center who had witnessed or participated in firefights, ambushes or other incidents, and killed while deployed. The present study found preliminary evidence that contrary to expectations, Veterans were equally affected by moral injury across service eras, despite significant differences in amount of killing and exposure to death. In particular, compared to OEF/OIF Veterans, Vietnam Veterans reported higher frequencies of seeing the bodies of dead enemy soldiers and dead Americans or allies; they also reported a greater frequency of killing experiences. These initial findings suggest that the transgression of killing may carry universal moral gravitas that transcends serve-era, and that moral injury can develop separate from degree and frequency of exposure. Given the rapidly growing aging population as well as the higher rates of returning Veterans from OEF/OIF, the VA would be well served by continued research on generational differences in respect to moral injury. Recommendations for future research and study limitations are discussed.
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| Descriptor
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Psychology
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Brown, Lisa
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Palo Alto University
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