Research at CDP: Developing the Morally Injurious Life Events Checklist
By Ariana R. Bazzi, Sebastian Preilipper, Maegan M. Paxton Willing
We are excited to share the launch of a study focusing on the development of a new research tool, the Morally Injurious Life Events Checklist (MILEC). The MILEC, developed by the research team at the Center for Deployment Psychology, is designed to deepen our understanding of moral injury.
About the Moral Injury Life Events Checklist
The MILEC is a key research effort aimed at identifying and understanding morally injurious events (events that involve offense to one's moral values that produce prolonged psychological harm). This study is dedicated to developing and validating a comprehensive checklist that captures these experiences across both civilian and military populations. By rigorously evaluating its psychometric properties, the MILEC will provide a reliable and accurate tool for recognizing moral injury. The ultimate goal is to enhance clinical assessment and intervention strategies, especially for military personnel, who may be particularly susceptible to the lasting impact of moral injury.
The Big Picture
Service members may be at a greater risk of experiencing moral injury due to their heightened exposure to potentially morally injurious events during military service. Moral injury can significantly impact the well-being of service members, contributing to worsened mental health, spritual struggles, and increased suicide ideation. In order to treat moral injury, a natural first step is to develop an effective method for identifying these injuries across a diverse population.
Participant Eligibility and Study Activities
The development of the MILEC will occur in four primary steps:
Step 1: The Phenomenological Interview
Participants will share their personal experiences in a one-on-one virtual interview. These interviews will be used to create the initial list of morally injurious events for the MILEC.
Step 2: The Cognitive Interview
Participants will complete a virtual interview where they will be asked to review the initial version of the MILEC measure aloud to refine the structure of the MILEC.
Step 3: The Lawshe Method
Clinicians and doctoral level researchers with subject matter expertise in moral injury will give feedback on the developed MILEC to refine the list of morally injurious events. The Lawshe will be completed in three parts throughout the measure’s development.
Step 4: The Test Retest of the MILEC Survey
Psychometric properties of the measure will be examined across two time points in civilian and military-connected individuals.
Get Involved!
If you are interested in participating in the MILEC development, please complete our contact card at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CDPcontact. You can also contact us at cat-research.cdp@usuhs.edu with any questions or to request more information. More updates are coming soon, stay tuned!
The opinions in CDP Staff Perspective blogs are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Science or the Department of Defense.
By Ariana R. Bazzi, Sebastian Preilipper, Maegan M. Paxton Willing
We are excited to share the launch of a study focusing on the development of a new research tool, the Morally Injurious Life Events Checklist (MILEC). The MILEC, developed by the research team at the Center for Deployment Psychology, is designed to deepen our understanding of moral injury.
About the Moral Injury Life Events Checklist
The MILEC is a key research effort aimed at identifying and understanding morally injurious events (events that involve offense to one's moral values that produce prolonged psychological harm). This study is dedicated to developing and validating a comprehensive checklist that captures these experiences across both civilian and military populations. By rigorously evaluating its psychometric properties, the MILEC will provide a reliable and accurate tool for recognizing moral injury. The ultimate goal is to enhance clinical assessment and intervention strategies, especially for military personnel, who may be particularly susceptible to the lasting impact of moral injury.
The Big Picture
Service members may be at a greater risk of experiencing moral injury due to their heightened exposure to potentially morally injurious events during military service. Moral injury can significantly impact the well-being of service members, contributing to worsened mental health, spritual struggles, and increased suicide ideation. In order to treat moral injury, a natural first step is to develop an effective method for identifying these injuries across a diverse population.
Participant Eligibility and Study Activities
The development of the MILEC will occur in four primary steps:
Step 1: The Phenomenological Interview
Participants will share their personal experiences in a one-on-one virtual interview. These interviews will be used to create the initial list of morally injurious events for the MILEC.
Step 2: The Cognitive Interview
Participants will complete a virtual interview where they will be asked to review the initial version of the MILEC measure aloud to refine the structure of the MILEC.
Step 3: The Lawshe Method
Clinicians and doctoral level researchers with subject matter expertise in moral injury will give feedback on the developed MILEC to refine the list of morally injurious events. The Lawshe will be completed in three parts throughout the measure’s development.
Step 4: The Test Retest of the MILEC Survey
Psychometric properties of the measure will be examined across two time points in civilian and military-connected individuals.
Get Involved!
If you are interested in participating in the MILEC development, please complete our contact card at https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CDPcontact. You can also contact us at cat-research.cdp@usuhs.edu with any questions or to request more information. More updates are coming soon, stay tuned!
The opinions in CDP Staff Perspective blogs are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Uniformed Services University of the Health Science or the Department of Defense.