Morally injurious experiences and meaning in Salvadorian teachers exposed to violence

Psychological Trauma : Theory, Research, Practice and Policy
Joseph M CurrierDavid Foy

Abstract

Helping professionals working to alleviate the effects of violence and injustice can confront morally injurious experiences (MIE) that violate deeply held moral values/beliefs, placing them at risk for burnout and trauma-related problems (e.g., posttraumatic stress disorder [PTSD]). Focusing on 257 teachers from educational departments throughout El Salvador, we incorporated structural equation modeling (SEM) to examine (1) whether exposure to MIEs for this population (e.g., betrayal, witnessing harm to an innocent student) are directly linked with higher PTSD symptomatology and work-related burnout and (2) whether MIEs contribute to these outcomes via meaning made of trauma. SEM results revealed that MIEs were in fact uniquely linked with PTSD symptoms and burnout, above and beyond rates of direct victimization and demographic factors. In addition, greater MIEs were indirectly linked with study outcomes via the extent to which teachers were able to make meaning of their identified stressors. These findings support the importance of screening for MIEs among helping professionals and also suggest that meaning making could serve as a central mediating factor for how MIEs contribute to trauma-related problems among persons working...Continue Reading

Citations

May 23, 2018·The British Journal of Psychiatry : the Journal of Mental Science·Victoria WilliamsonNeil Greenberg
Jan 29, 2019·Journal of Traumatic Stress·Brandon J GriffinShira Maguen
Apr 24, 2019·The Journal of Neuropsychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences·Haleigh A BarnesKatherine H Taber
Jun 5, 2019·Journal of Traumatic Stress·Yuval Neria, Alison Pickover
Sep 13, 2020·Stress and Health : Journal of the International Society for the Investigation of Stress·Travis N RayScott M Pickett
Jan 9, 2019·Frontiers in Psychiatry·Angela NickersonNaser Morina
Oct 21, 2020·International Journal of Mental Health Nursing·Nikki JamiesonKim Usher
May 2, 2021·Clinical Psychology & Psychotherapy·Nicole A HallMary Beth Miller
Jul 11, 2021·Journal of Religion and Health·Harold G Koenig, Faten Al Zaben

❮ Previous
Next ❯

Related Concepts

Related Feeds

Anxiety Disorders

Discover the latest research on anxiety disorders including agoraphobia, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder here.