Sexual Assault as a Potentially Morally Injurious Event: The Role of Religiosity in Post-Assault Outcomes

Abstract

Moral injury is an emerging concept within psychology and the study of religion/ spirituality. While it is well-established within the military context, there are ongoing efforts to study moral injury within civilian populations and to explore its development from an experienced event (versus perpetrated or witnessed). The current study with Christian, Jewish, and Muslim women (N=139) builds on previous moral injury research by exploring sexual assault as a potentially morally injurious event (PMIE) and the role of religiosity in moral injury symptom development. Additionally, the role of a conservative sexual attitude was explored as a moderator in this relationship. It was hypothesized that higher religious commitment, negative religious coping, authoritarian God-concept, and greater sexual conservatism would all serve as unique predictors for greater moral injury symptoms, and that greater sexual conservatism would significantly moderate the relationship between intrinsic religious orientation and moral injury symptoms. Moral injury was assessed using three outcomes: moral injury symptoms, stress integration, and religious/spiritual struggle. Three hierarchical linear regression analyses were used to analyze the data. In this sample, only the control variables of PTSD symptoms and intrinsic religious orientation were significantly related to moral injury symptoms. No control or predictor variables were significant in the analysis of stress integration. Control variables of PTSD symptoms and Christian vs. other religious affiliation were significantly related to religious/spiritual struggle. The findings of this study could help advance research about moral injury among religious individuals, and as a byproduct of sexual assault. Results confirm a relation between moral injury and PTSD as well as the potential role of specific facets of religiosity in moral injury development; however, results indicate that further study is needed to identify specific mechanisms that may connect religiosity and moral injury. Clinically, results could be used to support the assessment of moral injury symptoms among clients endorsing sexual victimization, promote further development of treatments for moral injury, and encourage ongoing efforts to distinguish PTSD and moral injury symptoms.