The number of low-income veterans who report owning a firearm, according to a study published earlier this year in the journal Military Psychology -- Prevalence and characteristics associated with firearm ownership among low-income U.S. veterans.
Every year over 200,000 veterans separate from military service leaving them with a significant number of decreased social supports, leading many to experience social isolation. Social isolation defined, is a pervasive absence of intimate contact with, and support from others; but felt, is a sensation that is hard to shake. For many of us, we lived it day in and day out during the COVID-19 pandemic, feeling more like a repeat of the 2020 film “Two Distant Strangers” produced by Van Lathan, Jesse Williams, and Sean Combs (to name a few), than our introduction to the new decade. While we were fortunate to have returned to a routine of somewhat normalcy or at least a new normal, many veterans experiencing social isolation continue to grapple with its detrimental impacts.
As we have looked at the concept of moral injury we have predominantly looked at it as a condition of the individual. However, every disorder exists within a social context. In this entry, I’d like to examine the role of American society in moral injury. Previously, I had discussed the treatment options that have evolved. These methods focus on the service members developing some form of peace with what had happened in a variety of ways. What I am hoping to examine is the aspects of our culture and society that may contribute to the burden that our service members bear in the prosecution of a war or conflict.
When developing a case conceptualization, we often consider the co-occurring psychological factors at play; however, we may neglect to fully consider the many social factors involved. Maercker and Horn (2013) developed a three level model of socio-interpersonal factors related to the development of PTSD, which can be useful when forming a case conceptualization. The first level considers social affective changes and encompasses factors such as shame, guilt, anger, and revenge. The second level examines close social relationships including social support, and the third level includes distant social contexts such as one’s culture.
The number of veterans who have experienced homelessness, according to a recent article in the journal Psychological Medicine -- Prevalence, correlates, and mental health burden associated with homelessness in U.S. military veterans.