Forces in Mind Trust (FiMT) has awarded £168,813 to King’s Centre for Military Health Research to conduct the first scoping study to explore the experiences of moral injury in UK ex-Service personnel…
The aim of the 15-month study is to address gaps in understanding of moral injury and researchers will focus on a number of areas including:
- Exploring the experiences of moral injury in UK ex-Service personnel
- Investigating the impact of moral injury mental health and well-being
- Examining ex-Service personnel and clinician perceptions of potential risk and protective factors for mental health difficulties following moral injury
Most current studies of moral injury are of US ex-Service personnel, and evidence produced from these revealed that military-related moral injury was a significant predictor of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and alcohol abuse.
Ray Lock, Chief Executive of Forces in Mind Trust, said: “The purpose of Forces in Mind Trust is to enable all ex-Service personnel to have a sustainable transition back into civilian life. This can be done by providing robust evidence to policy makers and service providers to inform decision making.
“This ground-breaking research to be undertaken by King’s Centre for Military Health Research will give us a better insight into the impact of moral injury from the perspective of the Armed Forces. Services and support structures can then be tailored to provide the specific support needed to assist recovery and progress through the transition pathway.”
Dr Victoria Williamson, Post-Doctoral Research Associate, King’s Centre for Military Health Research, said: “We are delighted to receive a grant from FIMT which will allow us to investigate this very important topic from a UK viewpoint.
“Service personnel have to make highly challenging ethical decisions and live with the consequences if they go wrong. This study will help us better understand Service personnel’s experiences and their support needs.”
