The effect of combat exposure on soldiers' ethical attitudes : a preliminary model and mitigation strategy

Abstract

Most studies on the psychological impact of military operations have focused on mental health outcomes and protective factors. Notwithstanding the importance of mental health, other dimensions of military operations stand to benefit from additional research. One area deserving much greater attention is battlefield ethics. Given the detrimental effects that an ethical lapse may have on the success of an entire operation, it is critical that this process be better understood. To this end, two studies were conducted. A total of 1,382 Canadian soldiers participated in Study 1. Each participant completed a measure of combat exposure, psychological distress, and ethical attitudes. The results showed that combat exposure and ethical attitudes are related, but this relationship was fully mediated by psychological distress. Study 2 attempted to replicate Study 1 results in a completely different sample (N = 819) and to explore whether a positive social/unit climate could attenuate the detrimental effects of combat exposure on personnel well-being and ethical attitudes. The results showed a direct effect of combat exposure on ethical attitudes, and although no moderation effects were detected, positive social/unit climate perceptions were found to have a direct beneficial effect on mental health. Implications for practice and research are discussed along with limitations to the validity and generalizability of the findings.