Poster #52 - Associations Between Moral Disengagement, Coping Self-Efficacy, and Moral Injury Following Experiences of Transgressive Events

• In Event: Poster Session 02

Abstract

When youths experience events that transgress their personal moral beliefs of right and wrong, they may also experience negative emotions following the event such as shame and guilt (Dempsey, 2017). At its extremity, young people may experience moral injury—feelings of intense moral wounding leading to psychosocial and spiritual harm following experiences of transgressive events. Although the construct of moral injury is mainly examined in war veterans and first responders (Lentz et al., 2021; Litz et al., 2009), researchers have begun to recognize its occurrence in young people (Chaplo et al., 2019).

Not all young people exposed to morally transgressive events experience moral injury. Factors that build resilience such as coping self-efficacy can minimize risk of experiencing moral injury after a transgression. Although coping self-efficacy has yet to be empirically examined in the context of moral injury, existing research has identified coping self-efficacy as an important factor in reducing distress following stressful and traumatic events (Guerra et al., 2018; Trompeter et al., 2018).

In certain situations, some youths can engage in transgressions without feeling remorse. This process, known as moral disengagement (MD), allows young people to selectively detach their personal moral standards from their transgressive experiences to sanitize the immorality of sanctioned conduct (Bandura, 2002). Although youths do not feel guilt following a transgression through enlisting MD mechanisms, this process can be maladaptive as it enables transgressions to continue with little censure, thereby increasing its recurrence (Bandura, 2016). Substantial research has been conducted examining the role of MD in enabling aggression (Luo & Bussey, 2022). However, associations between MD and other forms of transgressions have received less attention.

This study therefore aims to examine the role of MD in attenuating the effect of coping self-efficacy on the experience of moral injury. Adolescents aged 14 to 18 years (N = 249) were asked to recall an experience that violated their personal beliefs of right and wrong. Of these participants, 206 adolescents provided a response. Participants then rated their level of MD and symptoms of moral injury associated with the event. In addition, participants completed a validated measure of coping self-efficacy to measure their belief in their abilities to cope. Hierarchical regressions demonstrated a moderating effect of MD on the association between coping self-efficacy and moral injury (Table 1). Specifically, at low levels of MD, coping self-efficacy was associated with lower moral injury symptoms. At high levels of MD, however, participants reported low levels of moral injury symptoms regardless of their coping self-efficacy (Figure 1).

Results demonstrate the function of MD in suppressing the negative association between coping self-efficacy and moral injury. Although MD may alleviate symptoms of moral injury following potentially morally injurious events, this occurrence also increases risk of engaging in similar behavior in future. Findings expand on the knowledge on links between MD and moral injury, and emphasize the importance of disabling MD to cope constructively with transgressive experiences. Future research can consider other factors that may impact enlistment of MD, such as the severity of the transgression.

Authors

• Aileen Luo, Macquarie University
  Presenting Author

• Kay Bussey, Macquarie University