Uncovering Moral Injury at Work: The Development and Initial Validation of the Moral Injury at Work Scale (MIWS)

Employees frequently encounter situations at work that present moral or ethical dilemmas. Consequently, they may engage in immoral actions, witness moral violations, or fail to intervene when their coworkers behave immorally. Repeated exposure to such moral challenges can lead to moral injury--the damage to one's moral code and self-image resulting from witnessing, failing to prevent, or participating in what is perceived as an immoral act. Despite the potential for moral injury in workplace contexts, research has yet to adequately explore or measure this phenomenon. This dissertation addresses this gap by developing and validating the Moral Injury at Work Scale (MIWS). Across six studies, I confirm a three-factor model of moral injury, showing that the MIWS correlates meaningfully with theoretically relevant constructs (i.e., existing moral injury scales, guilt, shame, moral compass) and remains distinct from unrelated constructs (i.e., justice perceptions, experienced incivility, PTSD, depression, anxiety). The MIWS predicted high burnout and uniquely predicted positive outcomes such as job satisfaction and engagement. The MIWS did not provide incremental validity compared to existing moral injury scales. My results provide preliminary support for the MIWS, contribute to the growing nomological network of moral injury, and provide meaningful areas for future research. I discuss the theoretical and practical implications of these results.