Abstract
Moral injury is a relatively new term in the lexicon of harms that can be inflicted on those serving in the military, and arises from exposure to events that challenge the individual’s sense of what is right. This chapter documents my struggles in researching moral injury in Australian veterans, and the unanticipated risks that unfolded and subsequently threatened the study. These risks were compounded by external events that created suspicion in sections of the veteran community. Subsequent experiences of harassment, as well as accusations of incompetence, eroded my reputation within the veteran community, and jeopardised my emotional wellbeing. The characteristics of veteran populations that may have contributed to these demoralising actions are discussed, together with the vulnerabilities that impacted on my personal reaction to them.
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Macdonald, A.L. (2021). Friend or Foe: The Perils of Conducting Research on Moral Injury in an Australian Veteran Population. In: Mulligan, D.L., Danaher, P.A. (eds) Researchers at Risk. Palgrave Studies in Education Research Methods. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-53857-6_18
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