https://aub.ie/MilitaryREACH-Shapiro2022

Shapiro, M. O., Houtsma, C., Schafer, K. M., True, G., Miller, L., & Anestis, M. (2022). Moral injury and suicidal ideation among female National Guard members: Indirect effects of perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness. Traumatology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/trm0000424

According to the interpersonal psychological theory of suicide (ITS), perceived burdensomeness (i.e., feeling like a burden to others) and thwarted belongingness (e.g., feeling disconnected from others) can contribute to suicidal ideation. Drawing from the ITS, this study examined whether perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness explained the relationship between moral injury (i.e., emotional, spiritual, or psychological impacts from acting against one’s moral beliefs) and suicidal ideation among 151 women Service members. Overall, perceived burdensomeness and thwarted belongingness were identified as 2 factors that contribute to suicidal ideation among women Service members exposed to higher levels of moral injury.

https://doi.org/10.1037/trm0000424

Mental health

Army
Multiple branches

Active Duty

Active duty service member
Guard/Reserve member

Young adulthood (18 - 29 yrs)
Adulthood (18 yrs & older)
Thirties (30 - 39 yrs)

Quantitative Study

Shapiro, Mary Oglesby, Houtsma, Claire, Schafer, Katherine Musacchio, True, Gala, Miller, Laura, Anestis, Michael

Numerous reports have linked moral injury (i.e., experience or perpetration of a morally unjust event) with suicidal ideation and outcomes; however, little is known regarding mechanisms that may influence this association. According to empirically supported theories of suicide, thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness may lead to increased suicidal ideation. Furthermore, nascent research has linked thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness with moral injury. However, no work to date has examined whether thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness explain the association between moral injury and suicidal ideation. The current sample consisted of 151 female National Guard members recruited as part of a larger research study. Results indicated a significant association between moral injury and suicidal ideation that was indirect through thwarted belongingness and perceived burdensomeness. These findings highlight important and malleable mechanisms that may lead to increased suicide risk among women exposed to morally injurious events. Furthermore, this work extends our current understanding of moral injury and suicide by examining these constructs among a sample of female service members.

American Psychological Association

Article
REACH Publication

Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System, MOS
Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System, CH
Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System, KMS
Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System, GT
South Central Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), MOS
South Central Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), CH
South Central Mental Illness Research, Education and Clinical Center (MIRECC), GT
Department of Psychology, Florida State University, KMS
Women’s Mental Health, Office of Mental Health and Suicide Prevention, Veterans Health Administration, LM
Department of Psychiatry, Stritch School of Medicine, Loyola University, LM
The New Jersey Gun Violence Research Center, MA
School of Public Health, Rutgers University, The State University of New Jersey, MA