What Should Clinicians Who Care for Police Officers Know about Moral Injury?

Abstract

Police officers and clinicians are exposed to a broad range of moral risks in the field. When they perceive that a moral transgression has been committed by an agent responding to those risks, they are susceptible to moral injury. This article canvasses situations that can generate moral injury and describes symptom profiles of moral injury in law enforcement personnel, which tend to be more diverse than those in military personnel. This article also offers recommendations to clinicians who work with and care for police officers experiencing moral injury regarding symptom identification, recovery, and possible prevention.