Differential Associations Between Relational Health and Mental Health Among Civilian and Military‐Affiliated Samples Reporting Moral Injury

ABSTRACT The symptoms of anxiety and depression are commonly reported within military‐ and non‐military‐affiliated populations, with considerable evidence available to counselors regarding which relational characteristics function as protective factors among these populations. Less is known about the statistical associations among these variables for those reporting moral injury. We sampled military‐affiliated ( n = 171) and non‐military‐affiliated ( n = 145) participants who reported experiences of moral injury. Participants provided self‐reported responses to the Patient Health Questionnaire‐4 (PHQ) and Relational Health Indices (RHI). Predictive modeling revealed a greater proportion of variance in PHQ scores explained by the RHI subscales (Authenticity, Engagement, and Empowerment) among military‐affiliated participants ( R 2 = 0.28) than among non‐military‐affiliated participants ( R 2 = 0.18). Inspection of individual predictors identified differing influences of model predictors between samples. Implications for the use of relational–cultural therapy and related counseling practices and research are discussed.