PTSD in Health Care Personnel during Covid-19: The Role of Moral Injury and Dissociation

Rake, Antonia Sophie (2022) PTSD in Health Care Personnel during Covid-19: The Role of Moral Injury and Dissociation. Bachelor thesis, Psychology.

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Abstract

Background: Witnessing a potentially morally injurious event (PMIE) in conflict with one´s own moral beliefs can elicit moral injury. Research has shown that experienced moral injury is related to the severity of PTSD. Peritraumatic dissociation could moderate the relationship between moral injury and PTSD, as it has been found to be common during occupational stressors and to increase the likelihood of PTSD. Method: We investigated whether moral injury is associated with the severity of PSTD in health care personnel (N = 580) throughout Italy. Hereby, we test if the emotional reaction or the mere exposure to a PMIE better explains PTSD. Additionally, we propose that dissociation moderates the association of moral injury and PTSD. Results: Results show a moderate, positive correlation (r = .319, p < .001, N = 534) between moral injury and PTSD in health care workers. Hereby, the psychological reaction to the PMIE added significantly (R2 = .095) to the variance in PTSD severity explained by exposure only (R2 = .018). However, dissociation did not act as a moderator between moral injury and PTSD (β = -.004, t = -.652, p = .51). Discussion: The outcomes contribute to the novel body of research on the psychological consequences of extreme situations like a pandemic on health care personnel. Both the exposure as well as the reaction to the PMIE turned out to be significant predictors of PTSD severity. Thus, in line with our findings, interventions in medical institutions should focus on preventing moral injury as a reaction to potential morally injurious events and on supporting individuals who have developed PTSD through working frontline during Covid-19. Keywords: covid-19, pandemic, moral injury, PTSD, dissociation, health care personnel

Item Type:	Thesis (Bachelor)
Supervisor name:	Daniels, J.K.
Degree programme:	Psychology
Differentiation route:	None [Bachelor Psychology]
Date Deposited:	10 Jun 2022 08:32
Last Modified:	10 Jun 2022 08:32
URI:	http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/510

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