Moral Injury

Lt.-Gen.(retired) Roméo Dallaire, the founder of the Dallaire Institute, led the United Nations peacekeeping troops in Rwanda during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi that took nearly a million lives over 100 days. At this time, few outside of the military were aware of the severe psychological damage that witnessing such moral atrocities can cause. General Dallaire’s experience has helped to destigmatize the potentially devastating operational stress injuries that many military veterans face as a result of their service.

Research Participant Recruitment

First defined by psychiatrist Jonathan Shay, moral injury refers to the psychological, social and physiological results of a betrayal of “what’s right.” The Centre for Addiction and Mental Health describes moral injury as a loss injury, a disruption in our trust that occurs within our moral values and beliefs. Any events, action or inaction that transgresses our moral/ethical beliefs, expectations and standards can set the stage for moral injury.

Traumatic events during armed conflict can impact the mental health of military personnel who experience life and death situations such as coming under fire, being wounded, and witnessing comrades being killed or severely injured. The trauma results in physical changes to the brain resulting Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). However, less explored are the moral dilemmas that occur within our thought processes that are impacted by perpetuating, observing, and/or failing to prevent acts that transgress moral standards. These moral injuries are becoming more prevalent in current operations.

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. One sub-type of moral injury that has not been researched and is experienced more frequently by military members world-wide, is the study of mental health effects as a result of encounters with children used as soldiers. There is a need to understand the impacts of these encounters in order 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. Do you want to participate in our research? Learn more below.

Participant sign-up

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 children* recruited and used as soldiers to participate in our research. Review our participant requirements below:

  • A Veteran of the Canadian Armed Forces

  • 18 years or older, living in Canada

  • Have witnessed or engaged with children recruited and used as soldiers

This research 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.

If you are interested in participating or want more information about our research, please phone or e-mail Sharon Bernards, Project Coordinator, at 

519-281-6182 or Sharon.Bernards@camh.ca.

*Per the Paris Principles, a child soldier is any person under 18 years of age who is part of any kind of regular or irregular armed force or armed group in any capacity, including but not limited to cooks, porters, messengers and those accompanying such groups, other than purely as family members. The definition includes girls recruited for sexual purposes and forced marriage. The term child soldier does not, therefore, refer only to a child who is carrying or has carried arms.