Next Thursday, July 16th at 1:00 PM Eastern time, the Military-Civilian Transition Office Research Forum will host a teleconference.
The topic will be Betrayal, Moral Injury, and the Military-to-Civilian Transition: Findings and Future Directions
Meeting Information:
Date: Tuesday, July 16th from 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM ET
Link to the meeting: https://www.zoomgov.com/j/16121670761?pwd=aUxuWEVaRjVlbUVXQmY4dHVGQ3pDUT09&omn=1608334918
Password for the meeting: Forum
Please feel free to forward this invitation to others who may be interested.
Program Description:
The military-to-civilian transition (MCT) is a major psychological, social, occupational, and identity transition, yet relatively little is known about why some service members experience greater difficulty adjusting after separation than others. This presentation will describe findings from a prospective longitudinal study of U.S. Army soldiers assessed approximately six months before and six months after leaving active duty. The study examined whether different forms of potentially morally injurious events (PMIEs), including self-attributed transgressions, other-attributed transgressions, and experiences of betrayal, predicted changes in posttraumatic stress symptoms and reintegration difficulty during the MCT.
Among the different forms of PMIEs examined, betrayal-related experiences emerged as the clearest prospective predictor of difficulty across the MCT. Greater pre-separation exposure to betrayal-related PMIEs predicted higher post-separation posttraumatic stress symptoms and greater difficulty reintegrating into civilian life, even after accounting for baseline symptoms, combat exposure, and other relevant demographic and service-related factors. In contrast, self- and other-attributed transgressions did not predict these post-separation outcomes. Using these findings as a starting point, the presentation will introduce the Betrayal–Transition Stress Model, a developing framework that proposes betrayal may uniquely disrupt trust, coherence, and regulatory adaptation during periods of major change. The presentation will conclude by outlining an emerging research agenda focused on moral injury, mental health, relationships, well-being, and reintegration among transitioning service members and veterans.
Presenter:
Walter Sowden, Ph.D.
Walt Sowden is a Lecturer of Management and Organizations at the Stephen M. Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. A behavioral scientist and retired U.S. Army officer, his research examines how people lead, perform, adapt, and remain healthy during major transitions and in high-stakes environments. His current work examines how betrayal, moral injury, and other psychologically significant military experiences shape veterans’ mental health and reintegration during the military-to-civilian transition.
For more information contact me or Dr. Nathan D. Ainspan, Senior Research Psychologist, DoD MCTO, at nathan.d.ainspan.civ@mail.mil or (571) 372 – 0742.
Post Type
Calls & Announcements
Topic
Military and Veterans Inclusion
