Moral Injury
During deployment, encounters with children may have devastating mental health implications for military personnel. With a dual-lens approach, the Dallaire Institute seeks to understand the links between operational impacts upon the security sector and the protection of children in armed violence. We realize more research is needed to understand the lived experience of those who have had these interactions in order to better prepare personnel for complex deployments and to improve care for those who experience morally injurious events.
Read our newest publication, The Effects of Exposure to Children in Armed Conflict During Military Service, or browse the 7th volume of Allons-y: Journal of Children, Peace and Security to learn more.
What is Moral Injury?
Until recently, research on the traumatic impacts of conflict, and its effects on the mental health of military personnel, has largely focused on experiences of being wounded, coming under fire, and witnessing comrades killed or injured. Less explored are the impacts of perpetuating, observing or failing to prevent acts that transgress deeply held moral standards, referred to as moral injuries, which are becoming increasingly common scenarios in military deployments.
One sub-type of moral injury that hasn’t been extensively researched, yet is experienced more frequently by military members worldwide, is the study of mental health impacts of encounters with children used as soldiers. The prevalence of child soldiery has increased in recent years, in part driven by changes in the nature of conflict, such as the rise in terrorism. Such encounters may further burden military personnel who may already be at risk for several mental health challenges related to military service.
Lt.-Gen.(retired) Roméo Dallaire led the United Nations peacekeeping troops in Rwanda during the 1994 genocide. At that time, few outside of the military were aware of the severe psychological damage, the moral injuries, caused by witnessing or interacting with children affected by armed conflict. General Dallaire’s experience has helped to destigmatize the potentially devastating operational stress injuries that many military veterans face.
Many veterans are haunted with an internal conflict resulting in feelings of intense shame and guilt, that can lead to depression, isolation and possibly suicide. There is a need to understand the impacts of these encounters to help improve areas for prevention and intervention, including training and supports.
Research in moral injury will enable communities to better recognize its debilitating effects and help enable innovative, holistic supports to improve an individual’s quality of life.
Participate in our research studies
We are collecting rich, qualitative data to illuminate the lived experiences of military personnel who have suffered moral injuries and to take preventative action. This research study – the first of its kind – is oriented to inform and enhance training, policy and prevention strategies to better prepare personnel for complex deployments and improve care for those who experienced morally injurious events.
Our research is done in partnership with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH), the MacDonald Franklin OSI Research Centre, Western University and the Lawson Health Research Institution. We are seeking Canadian military personnel who have engaged with child soldiers to participate as co-researchers in this work.
The goals of this collaboration are to:
improve the collective understanding of the impact of witnessing child soldiers on military personnel's mental health
help identify opportunities to enhance training, planning and treatment to improve operational effectiveness and enhance protections for both military personnel and the children they seek to protect.
develop training and supports to equip military personnel with the necessary skills and resources to deal with exposure to child soldiers
develop early-intervention and treatment for those who have been negatively impacted by such exposures, including the families of injured soldiers
Please consider participating if you:
are a veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces
are 18 years or older, living in Canada
have witnessed or engaged with children in armed conflict
Definition of ‘Children in Armed Conflict’
According to the Paris Principles, “‘a child associated with an armed force or armed group’ refers to any person below 18 years of age who is or who has been recruited or used by an armed force or armed group in any capacity, including, but not limited to, children, boys and girls, used as fighters, cooks, porters, messengers, spies or for sexual purposes. It does not only refer to a child who is taking or has taken a direct part in hostilities.”