No abstract

Exposure to critical incidents and hence potentially traumatic events is endemic in law enforcement. The study of law enforcement officers' experience of moral injury and their exposure to potentially morally injurious incidents, and research on moral injury's relationship with different forms of traumatization (e.g. compassion fatigue, posttraumatic stress disorder) are in their infancy. The present study aims to build on prior research and explores the role of moral injury in predicting post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and its clusters thereof. To this end, a sample of law enforcement officers (N = 370) from the National Police of Finland was recruited to participate in the current study. Results showed that moral injury significantly predicted PTSD as well as its diagnostic clusters (i.e., avoidance, hyperarousal, re-experiencing). The aforementioned role of moral injury to significantly predict PTSD and its clusters were unequivocal even when compassion fatigue was incorporated into the path model. Clinical, research, and law enforcement practice implications are discussed.

The role of adolescents' family relationships as moderators of the negative associations between early steady dating and adjustment was investigated. Two hundred forty-four adolescents, 13to 14 years old, reported on family and peer relationships (attachment security to mother and father, marital conflict, parenting style, friend nominations) and adjustment. As predicted, negative associations between early steady dating and adjustment were moderated by family factors and gender. For girls in families high in marital conflict, steady dating was associated with lower self-esteem, and in authoritarian families, with more symptoms of depression. Girls securely attached to their mother and not dating steadily had higher grades. These findings suggest that success in prior relationships contributes to adolescents' abilities to cope with later developmental challenges.