Experiences of potentially morally injurious events (PMIEs) have been found to negatively impact the mental health of US personnel/veterans, yet little is known about the effect of PMIEs on the mental health of the UK Armed Forces (AF). This cross-sectional study aimed to examine the association between PMIEs and the mental health outcomes of UK AF veterans. Assessments of PMIE exposure and self-report measures of common mental disorders were administered using an online questionnaire to 204 UK veterans. Subjects were classified as having experienced a morally injurious event (n = 66), a non-morally injurious traumatic event (n = 57), a ‘mixed’ event (n = 31), or no event (n = 50). Potentially morally injurious experiences were associated with adverse mental health outcomes, including likely anxiety disorders and suicidal ideation, compared to those who reported no event exposure. The likelihood of meeting criteria for probable PTSD was greatest in those who had experienced a non-morally injurious trauma. No statistically significant association between alcohol misuse and experiencing a PMIE or traumatic event was observed. The results provide preliminary evidence that potentially morally injurious experiences are associated with adverse mental health outcomes in UK AF veterans. Further work is needed to better understand the interplay between morally injurious events and threat-based trauma in order to design effective pathways for prevention and intervention for people exposed to highly challenging events.

中文翻译：

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道德伤害对英国退伍军人福祉的影响

研究发现，潜在道德伤害事件 (PMIE) 的经历会对美国人员/退伍军人的心理健康产生负面影响，但人们对 PMIE 对英国武装部队 (AF) 心理健康的影响知之甚少。这项横断面研究旨在探讨 PMIE 与英国 AF 退伍军人的心理健康结果之间的关联。通过在线调查问卷对 204 名英国退伍军人进行了 PMIE 暴露评估和常见精神障碍的自我报告测量。受试者被分为经历过道德伤害事件（n = 66）、非道德伤害创伤事件（n = 57）、“混合”事件（n = 31）或没有事件（n = 50）。与那些报告没有事件暴露的人相比，潜在的道德伤害经历与不良的心理健康结果相关，包括可能的焦虑症和自杀意念。对于那些经历过非精神伤害性创伤的人来说，满足可能的创伤后应激障碍（PTSD）标准的可能性最大。没有观察到滥用酒精与经历 PMIE 或创伤事件之间存在统计学上的显着关联。研究结果提供了初步证据，表明潜在的道德伤害经历与英国房颤退伍军人的不良心理健康结果相关。需要进一步的工作来更好地了解道德伤害事件和基于威胁的创伤之间的相互作用，以便为面临高度挑战性事件的人们设计有效的预防和干预途径。