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LAY SUMMARY Moral injury (MI) can be defined as a diverse set of outcomes associated with actions that transgress one's moral beliefs or values. MI can be distressing for an individual at the interpersonal level (e.g., shifting relationships, feelings of betrayal) and the intrapersonal level (e.g., internalized guilt and shame). Indeed, these transgressions of moral beliefs and values have been associated with a high prevalence of mental illnesses, such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and depression. Although various forms of assessment exist to identify MI in the individual, treatments for MI are often interlinked or embedded in evidence-based treatments for PTSD and depression. As such, unique contributions of MI as a target of treatment remain largely unclear. In this article, the authors explore existing treatments that may be used to treat MI as a distinct mental health construct and examine their utility in reducing symptoms of MI in military and Veteran populations.

LAY SUMMARY Armed forces personnel are a population at risk for exposure to potentially traumatic and morally injurious events because of the high-risk nature of military operations. The impacts of deployment-related potentially morally injurious events (PMIEs) are increasingly being documented, with outcomes such as mental health and interpersonal problems showing consistent associations with exposure to events that deeply transgress an individual's deeply held moral beliefs. To date, the literature on deployment-related PMIEs has focused on events such as killing and exposure to atrocities. The impacts of situations in which military personnel encounter children, including children recruited and used as soldiers by local armies and militia, have not yet been examined systematically. This article highlights the scarcity of existing research on this topic and provides recommendations for future study regarding the impact of military encounters with children through the lens of moral injury.