The potentially morally injurious nature of encountering children during military deployments: A call for research

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. 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. One potentially morally injurious event (PMIE) could be when military personnel encounter children during deployment. These encounters may lead to acute and chronic psychological, behavioural, and social consequences, culminating in moral injury and other adverse mental health problems. According to anecdotal evidence, military personnel reported feeling torn, morally and ethically, in their decision-making when they encounter children in the line of duty. The decision to engage or kill a child may be difficult to reconcile with one’s moral and ethical code, and decisions may have deadly consequences for oneself and others. To date, however, no reliable data exist as to the impact that encountering children during deployment may have on psychosocial and spiritual well-being. In this article, additional research into this domain is encouraged by providing a rationale for studying encounters with children during deployment through the lens of a PMIE, as well as relevant contextual and institutional factors to consider when examining the mental health impact of such experiences.