Consulting after Combat: User-Centered Design to Develop a Group Psychotherapy for Combat Veterans with Moral Injury (Preprint)

作者：Sheila O'Brien, Marianne Goodman, Brett T. Litz, Ghislaine Boulanger, Erin P. Finley · 年份：2025 · DOI：10.2196/preprints.87756 · 被引用次数：1 · 研究领域：Digital Mental Health Interventions、Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research、Mental Health via Writing

BACKGROUND Approximately 25% of combat Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) seek treatment for traumas that involve potentially morally injurious events (PMIEs), which involve acts of commissions or omission or betrayal that deeply transgress one’s sense of right and wrong. The sequelae of exposure to PMIEs, called moral injury, are associated with functional and psychiatric impairment and disrupt Veterans’ sense of identity and meaning, ability to connect with and trust others, and engender disturbing guilt, shame, rage, and disgust. Currently, no first-line treatments directly address moral injury and evidence-based treatments for PTSD may be limited because they were derived from civilian contexts, poorly fit the war zone context, and do not allow Veterans to discuss the details of the PMIEs with other Veterans. OBJECTIVE The objective of this proposal is to develop a depth-oriented group psychotherapy for morally injured U.S. combat Veterans. The treatment development process is guided by user-centered design principles, in which the needs and preferences of potential treatment users (e.g., patients, providers) are systematically incorporated at all design and development phases. METHODS This research plan will employ user-centered design methods that continuously gather user experiences during treatment development, with the goal of increased effectiveness and usability. Aim 1 will discover user needs and preferences as well as treatment-engage...