Scientism as a Protective Factor for Moral Injury in European Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Hollander, C. (2024) Scientism as a Protective Factor for Moral Injury in European Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic. Master thesis, Psychology.

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Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic challenged healthcare workers globally, often negatively impacting their mental health. Previous research has suggested exposure to potentially morally injurious events as a potential contributor to this increase in psychological distress. Studies suggest moral injury as a possible consequence of exposure to potentially morally injurious events. Moral injury was originally primarily associated with military personnel, but has since been shown to also occur among healthcare workers. A possible protective factor after exposure to potentially morally injurious events that emerged from some studies is religion. Several authors have suggested comparable functions for religion and scientism, which raises the questions whether scientism has a similar protective effect. The current study examines whether the exposure to potentially morally injurious events predicts moral injury and whether scientism weakens the association between the two through moderation in a sample of N = 875 European healthcare workers. Data was collected with a questionnaire battery and was analysed through multiple linear regression. Results indicated exposure to potentially morally injurious events to be significantly associated with moral injury. No significant moderation effect for scientism was found. The overall model was significant with a high effect size. Findings from the present study enhance our understanding of the development of moral injury in healthcare workers. This knowledge can aid in providing them with adequate support for dealing with adverse circumstances.

Item Type:	Thesis (Master)
Supervisor name:	Daniels, J.K.
Degree programme:	Psychology
Differentiation route:	Clinical Psychology (CP) [Master Psychology]
Date Deposited:	28 Jan 2025 09:56
Last Modified:	28 Jan 2025 09:56
URI:	http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/4553

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