Moral Injury Resources

SOCIAL WORK AND COMMUNITY ADVOCATES RESOURCES

Webinars

• Moral Resilience for Social Care Workers During COVID-19

Links:

• Moral Injury and Healing in Child Welfare online training course by the University of Minnesota Gamble-Skogmo Chair Program in Child Welfare and Youth Policy

Books

• Herman, Judith (1997). Trauma and Recovery: The Aftermath of Violence – From Domestic Abuse to Political Terror. New York: Basic Books.
• Koch, Tom (2017). Ethics in Everyday Places: Mapping Moral Stress, Distress, and Injury. Redlands: MIT Press.
• Lynd, Alice and Lynd, Staughton (2017). Moral Injury and Nonviolent Resistance: Breaking the Cycle of Violence in the Military and Behind Bars. Oakland: PM Press.
• Reamer, Frederic G. (2020). Moral Distress and Injury in Human Services: Cases, Causes, and Strategies for Prevention. Washington: NASW Press.

Articles

• Reamer, Frederic G. (December 2021). Eye of Ethics: Moral Repair and Apology. Social Work Today.
• Cantu, Derek (Feb. 17, 2021). Sentencing Reform Advocates Urge State to Prioritize Incarceration Alternatives. WGLT.org.
• Brock, Rita Nakashima and Moon, Zachary (August 6, 2020). Activism is a Moral Injury Gone Viral. Medium.
• Maclean, Siobhan (May 13, 2020). Connecting Reflection and Resilience to Prevent 'Moral Injury' for Social Workers During the Covid19 Pandemic. Kirwin Maclean Associates.
• Janssen, Scott (April 6, 2020). Moral Injury in Health Care and COVID-19. Social Work Today.

Journal Articles

• Morris, Rae et al. (2022). “I Have Failed Them and Failed My Duties”: Experiences of Hospital Social Workers Discharging Patients into Homelessness. Health & Social Work, 48(1), 45-51. DOI: 10.1093/hsw/hlab039.
• Reamer, Frederic G. (2021). Moral Injury in Social Work: Responses, Prevention, and Advocacy. Families in Society: The Journal of Contemporary Social Services. DOI: 10.1177/10443894211051020.
• Stahlschmidt, Mary Jo; He, Amy S.; Lizano, Erica L. (2021). A Dynamic Theory of Moral Distress in Child Welfare Workers. The British Journal of Social Work. DOI: 10.1093/bjsw/bcab247.
• Eichstaedt, Johannes C. et al. (2021). The emotional and mental health impact of the murder of George Floyd on the US population. PNAS: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the Untied States of America, 118(39)). DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2109139118.
• Weintrobe, Sally (2020). Moral injury, the culture of uncare and the climate bubble. Journal of Social Work Practice, 34(4), 351-362. DOI: 10.1080/02650533.2020.1844167.
• Nicholas, Patrice K.; Breakey, Suellen; White, Bradley P.; Brown, Margaret J.; Fanuele, Jenny; Starodub, Roksolana; and Ros, Ana Viamonte (2020). Mental Health Impacts of Climate Change: Perspectives for the ED Clinician. Journal of Emergency Nursing, 46(5), 590-599. DOI: 10.1016/j.jen.2020.05.014.
• Hoffman, Joel; Liddell, Belinda; Bryant, Richard; and Nickerson, Angela (2018). The relationship between moral injury appraisals, trauma exposure, and mental health in refugees. Depression and Anxiety, 35, 1-10. DOI: 10.1002/da.22787.
• Haight, Wendy; Sugrue, Erin; Calhoun, Molly; and Black, James (2017). “Basically, I look at it like combat”: Reflections on moral injury by parents involved with child protection services. Children and Youth Services Review, 82, 477-489. DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.10.009.
• Haight, Wendy; Sugrue, Erin; Calhoun, Molly; and Black, James (2017). Everyday coping with moral injury: The perspectives of professionals and parents involved with child protection services. Children and Youth Services Review, 82, 108-121. DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.09.025.
• Haight, Wendy; Sugrue, Erin; Calhoun, Molly; and Black, James (2017). Moral injury among Child Protection Professionals: Implications for the ethical treatment and retention of workers. Children and Youth Services Review, 82, 27-41. DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2017.08.030.
• Fenton, Jane and Kelly, Timothy B. (2017). ‘Risk is King and Needs to take a Backseat!’ Can social workers’ experiences of moral injury strengthen practice? Journal of Social Work Practice, 31(4), 461-475. DOI: 10.1080/02650533.2017.1394827.
• Trombley, Janna; Chalupka, Stephanie; and Anderko, Laura (2017). Climate Change and Mental Health. AJN The American Journal of Nursing, 117(4), 44-52. DOI: 10.1097/01.NAJ.0000515232.51795.fa.
• Haight, Wendy; Sugrue, Erin; Calhoun, Molly; and Black, James (2016). A scoping study of moral injury: Identifying directions for social work research. Children and Youth Services Review, 70, 190-200. DOI: 10.1016/j.childyouth.2016.09.026.
• Blinka, Dee and Harris, Helen (2016). Moral Injury in Warriors and Veterans: The Challenge to Social Work. Journal of Social Work & Christianity, 43(3), 7-27.
• Kopacz, Marek S.; Simons, Kelsey V.; and Chitaphong, Khamkay (2015). Moral Injury: An Emerging Clinical Construct with Implications for Social Work Education. Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought, 34(3), 252-264. DOI: 10.1080/15426432.2015.1045681.
• Dombo, Eileen A.; Gray, Cathleen; and Early, Barbara P. (2013). The Trauma of Moral Injury: Beyond the Battlefield. Journal of Religion & Spirituality in Social Work: Social Thought, 32(3), 197-210. DOI: 10.1080/15426432.2013.801732.
• Siebert, Darcy Clay (2006). Personal and Occupational Factors in Burnout Among Practicing Social Workers. Journal of Social Service Research, 32(2), 25-44. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1300/J079v32n02_02.