Geestelijke verzorging voor veteranen met morele verwonding: Een ontwikkel- en evaluatieonderzoek van een existentieel-narratieve interventie

The concept of "moral injury" was developed to describe veterans' struggles resulting from confrontation with morally shocking situations during deployment. Moral wounding is a complex phenomenon that includes psychological, social and existential dimensions. In view of the existential dimension of moral injury, the question arises as to how to shape existential care within the broader provision of care to veterans. In the international literature on moral injury there is increasing attention for the (possible) role of spiritual caregivers in this. However, there appears to be hardly any empirical research on the care provided by spiritual caregivers in cases of moral injury, on their practices and interventions, on the outcomes of the care provided, or on the collaboration with other health care professionals. In the research proposed here, based on existing spiritual care practices for veterans with moral injury, a specific spiritual care intervention will be developed and evaluated. The research aims not only at developing knowledge about the meaning of spiritual care for veterans with moral injury, but more broadly at integrating existential care into, and thereby strengthening, the chain of care for these veterans.