Novel approaches are needed to target PTSD and psychosocial growth or functional recovery. One potentail way to address this critical ned is through moral elevation. This pilot trial tested a new web-based moral elevation intervention with post-9/11 Veterans who experienced a morally injurious event and PTSD symptoms. MOVED is an 8-session intervention administered over 4 weeks that aims to elicit moral elevation and its benefits. Findings suggested MOVED was considered feasible and satisfactory, demonstrated high levels of engagement, and established preliminary evidence that this approach is linked with lower PTSD symptoms and enhanced QOL for Veterans with PTSD and moral injury.
Social isolation is a relevant problem for veterans who are at risk for disengaging from others as a function of transition stress from military life to civilian life, and given high rates of exposure to trauma and psychological distress. Few …
Background: Using an experimental study, we examined the link between state moral elevation and stigmatic beliefs surrounding male veterans with military sexual trauma (MST). Methods: Undergraduate students were presented with a video or written …
Background Dispositional gratitude has been implicated as a psychological characteristic that may modulate risk for mental health outcomes. Using a population-based sample of U.S. military veterans, this study evaluated the association between …
The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has led to significant stressors and shifts in social life, yet social interactions experienced by people with trauma exposure during the COVID pandemic is largely unknown. This study assessed frequency of …
Moral elevation is described as feeling inspired after witnessing someone perform a virtuous act. Past work suggests the features of moral elevation may be contrary to PTSD, yet few studies have directly tested its impact on relevant symptoms. This …
Given the inconsistencies with measurements used to assess state-level experiences of moral elevation, and insufficient psychometric analyses for commonly used measures, the State Moral Elevation Scale (SMES) was developed and tested using an online sample (N = 930) including clinical and nonclincial (general) subsamples. Results from this study identified a 9-item measure with 1) excellent reliability, 2) good fit statistics and strict measurement invariance across clinical and nonclinical subsamples, and 3) evidence of construct validity for both subsamples. Findings suggest the SMES is a psychometrically valid and reliable assessment tool for state-level elevation which can be used in both general and clinical populations.
[Correction Notice: An Erratum for this article was reported in Vol 14(S1) of Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy (see record 2022-45004-002). In the article (https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0001143), the Supplemental materials …
Dispositional gratitude may be linked to positive mental health outcomes, yet population-based data on this association are lacking. Military veterans are an ideal population in which to examine this question given high rates of psychiatric …
Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorders (SUD) are highly comorbid among the veteran population. Impulsivity, particularly negative and positive urgency, are prevalent within this dual-diagnosis population and associated with …