Faculty Advisor(s)
Ariana Belles and Orley Templeton
Abstract
Occupational therapy has been working with veterans since its origin. Once labeled as shell shock, occupational therapists addressed and continue to address veteran’s mental health, specifically Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). While PTSD still affects veterans, there is another emerging phenomenon that is affecting veterans called moral injury. Moral injury (MI) is a condition resulting from “perpetrating, failing to prevent, bearing witness to, or learning about acts that transgress deeply held moral beliefs and expectations” (Litz et al., 2009, p. 697). There is currently limited literature regarding occupational therapy’s treatment of moral injury. This study aimed to fill the gaps in literature by researching the impact of moral injury on the occupations of veterans. The research study was a qualitative phenomenological design where veterans with potential moral injury were interviewed to learn about the current impact of MI on their occupational performance. The data was analyzed using a descriptive thematic approach (Sundler et al., 2019). Three themes were identified: enduring in silence, striving for self-efficacy, and decreased engagement in meaningful occupation. While the moral injurious events occurred years earlier, there is still a lasting impact on daily occupations, thus demonstrating a need for occupational therapists to be addressing moral injury. Further research should be completed to identify interventions that can be used for moral injury and how it impacts occupations.
Publication Date
2025
Document Type
Poster
Department
Occupational Therapy
Keywords
occupational therapy, moral injury, veterans, phenomenology, occupations
Disciplines
Medicine and Health Sciences | Occupational Therapy | Rehabilitation and Therapy
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Santora, Sydney, "The Impact of Moral Injury on Veterans' Occupations" (2025). Entry Level Occupational Therapy Doctoral Capstone Projects Class of 2025. 2.
https://digitalcommons.misericordia.edu/otd_capstone2025/2