The Relationship Between Pre-Deployment Experiences of Interpersonal Violence and  Moral Injury: The Moderating Role of Social Support

Initial research on moral injury has shown the construct to be associated with many negative mental health outcomes such as depression, suicidal ideation, reduced sense of belonging, anxiety, anger, and spiritual distress. In addition, moral injury among service members has also been shown to be related to experiences of interpersonal violence occurring pre-deployment. Given that social support has consistently been found to play a key role in moderating the relationship between experiences of interpersonal violence and stress and trauma related symptoms and disorders, this study will be the first to explore the relationship between experiences of interpersonal violence and moral injury, and the moderating role of social support. This study will use stepwise regression analysis to examine secondary data collected from 935 U.S. military personnel primarily from the Army National Guard.