Treatment of Moral Injury in U.S. Veterans with PTSD Using a Structured Chaplain Intervention

Ames, Donna; Erickson, Zachary; Geise, Chelsea; Tiwari, Suchi; Sakhno, Sergii; Sones, Alexander C.; Tyrrell, Chaplain Geoffrey; Mackay, Chaplain Robert B.; Steele, Chaplain William; Van Hoof, Therese; Weinreich, Heidi; Koenig, Harold G.

doi:10.1007/s10943-021-01312-8

Original Paper
Published: 20 June 2021

Treatment of Moral Injury in U.S. Veterans with PTSD Using a Structured Chaplain Intervention

Donna Ames^1,4,
Zachary Erickson¹,
Chelsea Geise¹,
Suchi Tiwari¹,
Sergii Sakhno¹,
Alexander C. Sones¹,
Chaplain Geoffrey Tyrrell¹,
Chaplain Robert B. Mackay¹,
Chaplain William Steele¹,
Therese Van Hoof¹,
Heidi Weinreich¹ &
Harold G. Koenig^2,3

Journal of Religion and Health volume 60, pages 3052–3060 (2021)Cite this article

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Abstract

Moral injury is a complex phenomenon characterized by spiritual, psychological, and moral distress caused by actions or acts of omission inconsistent with an individual’s moral and ethical values. We present two cases from an ongoing randomized controlled trial of a spiritually integrated structured intervention delivered by chaplains for individuals suffering from moral injury. Chaplains met with Veterans for twelve 50-min sessions that each focused on a specific domain of moral injury. Participants were asked to complete validated scales assessing symptoms of moral injury and PTSD, including the PTSD Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), Moral Injury Symptom Scale-Military Version Short Form, and Moral Injury Symptom Scale-Military Version Long Form. We report on two Veterans who completed the intervention and demonstrated significant improvement in moral injury and PTSD symptoms.

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Funding

This study was funded through Greater Los Angeles VA Research and Education Foundation through a generous donation by Harold G. Koenig, M.D.

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Authors and Affiliations

Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA Geffen School of Medicine, Los Angeles, CA, USA
Donna Ames, Zachary Erickson, Chelsea Geise, Suchi Tiwari, Sergii Sakhno, Alexander C. Sones, Chaplain Geoffrey Tyrrell, Chaplain Robert B. Mackay, Chaplain William Steele, Therese Van Hoof & Heidi Weinreich
Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Deparment of Medicine, Duke University School of Medicine, Durham, NC, USA
Harold G. Koenig
Department of Medicine, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
Harold G. Koenig
VA West Los Angeles Healthcare System, 11301 Wilshire Blvd, Bldg 401, Room B111, Los Angeles, CA, 90073, USA
Donna Ames

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Donna Ames
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Zachary Erickson
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Chelsea Geise
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Suchi Tiwari
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Sergii Sakhno
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Alexander C. Sones
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Chaplain Geoffrey Tyrrell
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Chaplain Robert B. Mackay
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Chaplain William Steele
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Therese Van Hoof
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Heidi Weinreich
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Harold G. Koenig
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Correspondence to Donna Ames.

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The authors affirm that human research participants provided informed consent for treatment and research involvement. This research project was double-blinded, and participation in this study was approved by the VA Internal Review Board. Each subject was aware that they were involved in research and signed written informed consent forms as well as a HIPAA release form. All subjects signed an additional release consenting to publish.

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Ames, D., Erickson, Z., Geise, C. et al. Treatment of Moral Injury in U.S. Veterans with PTSD Using a Structured Chaplain Intervention. J Relig Health 60, 3052–3060 (2021). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-021-01312-8

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Accepted: 10 June 2021
Published: 20 June 2021
Issue Date: October 2021
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10943-021-01312-8

Keywords

Moral injury
PTSD
Religion
Spirituality
Intervention
Veterans