(PS1-92) Impact of Moral Injury among College Students on Anxiety and Depression

Moral injury (MI), typically examined in veterans, is defined as the psychological effect of committing or experiencing acts that violate one’s morals (Litz et al., 2009). This study extended research on MI by examining its impact on anxiety and depression among college students. Participants (N = 298) were 19.7 (SD = 2. 94) years old on average and predominantly white (47.6%), cis-gender women (73. 4%) in their freshman year (41.6%). Measures were completed online and included: (1) Moral Injury Impact Scale (MIIS) which has 5 subscales: Action, (violating personal morals), Betrayed (being betrayed by trusted individual), Betraying (betraying someone close to you), Omission (not intervening in a moral dilemma), and Witnessing (observing others violate your morals); and (2) the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) Depression and Anxiety subscales. On a scale of 1 (rarely) to 5 (often), participants indicated how often they had engaged in each of the morally injurious behaviors. The percentage of students selecting a 4 or 5 on these scales were: Action: 8.1%; Betrayed: 47.4%; Betraying: 5.6%; Omission: 11.5%; and Witnessing: 47.9%. The analysis for depression was statistically significant (adjusted R² = .19; F[5,251] = 12.92, p< .001). Results found that higher scores on action (Standardized [STD] b = .25, p </em>< .001) and betrayed (STD b =.20, p< .01) were associated with higher depression. None of the other subscales significantly predicted depression. Regression analysis for anxiety was also statistically significant (adjusted R² = .24; F[5,251] = 17.43, p< .001). Results found that higher action (STD b = .23, p< .01), omission (STD b = .16, p= .04), betrayed (STD b = .14, p= .04), and witnessing action (STD b = .14, p= .03) were associated with higher levels of anxiety. These findings suggest that, as with veterans, college students experience moral injury. Moreover, MI among college students, particularly doing something that violates one’s own moral principles, impacts symptoms of anxiety and depression.