Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37048029›Full record

Trial reportInternational journal of environmental research and public health2023

Moving Forward from Moral Injury: A Mixed Methods Study Investigating the Use of 3MDR for Treatment-Resistant PTSD.

Lorraine Smith-MacDonald, Chelsea Jones, Matthew R G Brown, Rachel S Dunleavy, Annelies VanderLaan, Zornitsa Kaneva, Tristin Hamilton, Lisa Burback, Eric Vermetten, Suzette Brémault-Phillips

Open access · goldAbstract readClinical Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
2.2field-weighted citation impact, top 13% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 7 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Moral injury prevention and intervention.European journal of psychotraumatology · 2025
    Review
  5. Article
  6. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

Lorraine Smith-MacDonaldHeroes in Mind, Advocacy and Research Consortium (HiMARC), Faculty of Rehabilitation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G4, Canada.ORCID 0000-0003-3712-0674
Chelsea JonesHeroes in Mind, Advocacy and Research Consortium (HiMARC), Faculty of Rehabilitation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G4, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-7713-4099
Matthew R G BrownHeroes in Mind, Advocacy and Research Consortium (HiMARC), Faculty of Rehabilitation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G4, Canada.
Rachel S DunleavySt. Stephen's College, Edmonton, AB T6G 2J6, Canada.
Annelies VanderLaanHeroes in Mind, Advocacy and Research Consortium (HiMARC), Faculty of Rehabilitation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G4, Canada.
Zornitsa KanevaHeroes in Mind, Advocacy and Research Consortium (HiMARC), Faculty of Rehabilitation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G4, Canada.ORCID 0000-0003-0240-7413
Tristin HamiltonHeroes in Mind, Advocacy and Research Consortium (HiMARC), Faculty of Rehabilitation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G4, Canada.
Lisa BurbackHeroes in Mind, Advocacy and Research Consortium (HiMARC), Faculty of Rehabilitation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G4, Canada.ORCID 0000-0001-9591-4355
Eric VermettenDepartment of Psychiatry, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden University, 2333 ZA Leiden, The Netherlands.ORCID 0000-0003-0579-4404
Suzette Brémault-PhillipsHeroes in Mind, Advocacy and Research Consortium (HiMARC), Faculty of Rehabilitation, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G4, Canada.
University of Alberta · CAAlberta Health Services · CALeiden University · NLSt. Stephen's University · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundExposure to trauma and potentially morally injurious events may lead to moral injury (MI). The link between MI and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may have particularly relevant implications for treatment-resistant PTSD (TR-PTSD). Multi-modal Motion-Assisted Memory Desensitization and Reconsolidation (3MDR), a technology-assisted exposure-based trauma therapy that has been used in the treatment of PTSD, may also be an acceptable modality for patients in the treatment of TR-PTSD and MI. This proof-of-concept study aimed to investigate (1) whether MI co-occurs in military members (MMs) and veterans with TR-PTSD, and (2) the perspectives of MMs and veterans with TR-PTSD utilizing 3MDR for MI.

methodsThis study employed a mixed-methods clinical trial. Military Members and veterans participated in this study (N = 11) through self-reported questionnaires, video recordings of treatment sessions, and semi-structured interviews post-session and post-intervention, with longitudinal follow-up to 6 months.

resultsMI scores correlated with self-reported measures of mental health symptoms related to PTSD. The thematic analysis revealed three emergent themes: (1) Realities of War, (2) Wrestling Scruples, and (3) Moral Sensemaking.

conclusionMI was highly correlated with TR-PTSD and themes regarding MI. This result, while preliminary, allows for the postulation that MI may be contributing to the continuation of PTSD symptoms in TR-PTSD, and that 3MDR may be an acceptable modality for addressing these symptoms in MMs and veterans.

Indexed as

Military PersonnelStress Disorders, Post-TraumaticVeteransHumansSelf ReportSurveys and Questionnaires3MDRmilitarymoral injurytreatment-resistant PTSDveteranvirtual reality

Identifiers

PMID37048029
PMCPMC10094650
OpenAlexW4362668679

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.