The prevalence and long-term effects of PTSD and moral injury in Swedish military veterans
IntroductionIn the context of international military operations, officers and soldiers are exposed to various service-related stressors that may have long-lasting effects on their health and daily functioning. This study explored (1) the prevalence of symptoms indicative of both post-traumatic stres...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-05-01
|
| Series: | Frontiers in Sociology |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsoc.2025.1499411/full |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849731757910261760 |
|---|---|
| author | Sofia Nilsson Alicia Ohlsson Sofia Svensén Gerry Larsson Gerry Larsson |
| author_facet | Sofia Nilsson Alicia Ohlsson Sofia Svensén Gerry Larsson Gerry Larsson |
| author_sort | Sofia Nilsson |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionIn the context of international military operations, officers and soldiers are exposed to various service-related stressors that may have long-lasting effects on their health and daily functioning. This study explored (1) the prevalence of symptoms indicative of both post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and moral injury (MI), (2) the relationship between these conditions, and (3) the relationship between these conditions and a selection of background variables in Swedish military veterans who have previously been deployed in operations.MethodsThe study was a self-report survey. Of 6000 individuals invited to participate, 1940 completed the questionnaire, resulting in a response rate of 32%. Data was analyzed using correlation and regression analyses to explore potential statistical relationships between variables of interest. Additionally, the data were also analyzed using between-group analyses (t-tests) to examine differences between different groups.ResultsThe results indicate that a low proportion of participants showed a prevalence of indications of PTSD, which are comparable to previous Swedish studies on deployed veterans. An even smaller proportion was found to show indications of moral injury when compared to the assessment of PTSD. However, besides the small group that fulfilled the cutoff score criteria, a number of respondents reported milder symptoms of both psychological and moral distress. The second goal of the study was to examine the relationship between indications of PTSD and indications of moral injury. The findings suggest that there is a considerable overlap between the two constructs. In addition, the results suggest that the risk of PTSD and MI is highest when an event is perceived as both highly stressful (fear-based) and morally challenging. The MI symptom subcluster shame accounts for the largest variance in the PTSD indicator scale within the study sample. Health- and deployment-related background variables were identified that may be related to indications of moral injury.DiscussionThe study results highlight the type(s) of stressful experience and the health- and deployment-related factors that should be monitored post-deployment, which may serve as risk factors in developing indications of moral injury. The higher prevalence of indication of PTSD and MI in the past month, despite receiving various forms of support upon returning from deployment, highlights the need for MI-specific treatment. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-818ed34f21cb4dc8afb31bbc992fd362 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2297-7775 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-05-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Sociology |
| spelling | doaj-art-818ed34f21cb4dc8afb31bbc992fd3622025-08-20T03:08:26ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Sociology2297-77752025-05-011010.3389/fsoc.2025.14994111499411The prevalence and long-term effects of PTSD and moral injury in Swedish military veteransSofia Nilsson0Alicia Ohlsson1Sofia Svensén2Gerry Larsson3Gerry Larsson4Department of Leadership and Control & Command, Swedish Defence University, Karlstad, SwedenDepartment of Leadership and Control & Command, Swedish Defence University, Karlstad, SwedenDepartment of Leadership and Control & Command, Swedish Defence University, Karlstad, SwedenDepartment of Leadership and Control & Command, Swedish Defence University, Karlstad, SwedenDepartment of Health and Welfare, Inland University, Elverum, NorwayIntroductionIn the context of international military operations, officers and soldiers are exposed to various service-related stressors that may have long-lasting effects on their health and daily functioning. This study explored (1) the prevalence of symptoms indicative of both post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and moral injury (MI), (2) the relationship between these conditions, and (3) the relationship between these conditions and a selection of background variables in Swedish military veterans who have previously been deployed in operations.MethodsThe study was a self-report survey. Of 6000 individuals invited to participate, 1940 completed the questionnaire, resulting in a response rate of 32%. Data was analyzed using correlation and regression analyses to explore potential statistical relationships between variables of interest. Additionally, the data were also analyzed using between-group analyses (t-tests) to examine differences between different groups.ResultsThe results indicate that a low proportion of participants showed a prevalence of indications of PTSD, which are comparable to previous Swedish studies on deployed veterans. An even smaller proportion was found to show indications of moral injury when compared to the assessment of PTSD. However, besides the small group that fulfilled the cutoff score criteria, a number of respondents reported milder symptoms of both psychological and moral distress. The second goal of the study was to examine the relationship between indications of PTSD and indications of moral injury. The findings suggest that there is a considerable overlap between the two constructs. In addition, the results suggest that the risk of PTSD and MI is highest when an event is perceived as both highly stressful (fear-based) and morally challenging. The MI symptom subcluster shame accounts for the largest variance in the PTSD indicator scale within the study sample. Health- and deployment-related background variables were identified that may be related to indications of moral injury.DiscussionThe study results highlight the type(s) of stressful experience and the health- and deployment-related factors that should be monitored post-deployment, which may serve as risk factors in developing indications of moral injury. The higher prevalence of indication of PTSD and MI in the past month, despite receiving various forms of support upon returning from deployment, highlights the need for MI-specific treatment.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsoc.2025.1499411/fullmoral injuryPTSDmental healthmilitary deploymenttrauma |
| spellingShingle | Sofia Nilsson Alicia Ohlsson Sofia Svensén Gerry Larsson Gerry Larsson The prevalence and long-term effects of PTSD and moral injury in Swedish military veterans Frontiers in Sociology moral injury PTSD mental health military deployment trauma |
| title | The prevalence and long-term effects of PTSD and moral injury in Swedish military veterans |
| title_full | The prevalence and long-term effects of PTSD and moral injury in Swedish military veterans |
| title_fullStr | The prevalence and long-term effects of PTSD and moral injury in Swedish military veterans |
| title_full_unstemmed | The prevalence and long-term effects of PTSD and moral injury in Swedish military veterans |
| title_short | The prevalence and long-term effects of PTSD and moral injury in Swedish military veterans |
| title_sort | prevalence and long term effects of ptsd and moral injury in swedish military veterans |
| topic | moral injury PTSD mental health military deployment trauma |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fsoc.2025.1499411/full |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sofianilsson theprevalenceandlongtermeffectsofptsdandmoralinjuryinswedishmilitaryveterans AT aliciaohlsson theprevalenceandlongtermeffectsofptsdandmoralinjuryinswedishmilitaryveterans AT sofiasvensen theprevalenceandlongtermeffectsofptsdandmoralinjuryinswedishmilitaryveterans AT gerrylarsson theprevalenceandlongtermeffectsofptsdandmoralinjuryinswedishmilitaryveterans AT gerrylarsson theprevalenceandlongtermeffectsofptsdandmoralinjuryinswedishmilitaryveterans AT sofianilsson prevalenceandlongtermeffectsofptsdandmoralinjuryinswedishmilitaryveterans AT aliciaohlsson prevalenceandlongtermeffectsofptsdandmoralinjuryinswedishmilitaryveterans AT sofiasvensen prevalenceandlongtermeffectsofptsdandmoralinjuryinswedishmilitaryveterans AT gerrylarsson prevalenceandlongtermeffectsofptsdandmoralinjuryinswedishmilitaryveterans AT gerrylarsson prevalenceandlongtermeffectsofptsdandmoralinjuryinswedishmilitaryveterans |