Characteristics of the core beliefs of internally displaced persons with varying degrees of moral trauma in a wartime context
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29038/2227-1376-2026-47-neiKeywords:
moral trauma, internally displaced persons, basic beliefs, war, psychological trauma, trust in the worldAbstract
Purpose. This article examines the characteristics of the core beliefs held by internally displaced persons with varying degrees of psychological trauma in a wartime context. Particular attention is paid to analysing the impact of psychological distress on an individual’s fundamental perceptions of justice, benevolence and the controllability of the world, as well as on their attitude towards their own sense of self. The relevance of the study stems from the growing number of people experiencing moral trauma as a result of war and forced displacement.
Methods. The study involved 237 internally displaced persons from temporarily occupied territories and active combat zones in Ukraine. The MISS-M-SF moral trauma symptom scale, adapted by L. Zaseikina and M. Kozigora, was used to diagnose the level of moral trauma. The study of core beliefs was conducted using R. Yanov-Bulman’s methodology. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was applied to analyse the relationships between the indicators.
Results. It has been established that the vast majority of internally displaced persons exhibit a moderate level of moral trauma, accompanied by feelings of guilt, shame and a sense of dissonance within their personal belief system. Individuals with a low level of moral trauma are characterised by a higher level of trust in the world, a belief in its fairness and controllability. In contrast, respondents with a high level of moral trauma exhibit a distortion of basic beliefs, a loss of psychological security and an intensification of feelings of helplessness. Correlation analysis revealed statistically significant inverse relationships between the level of moral trauma and beliefs regarding the world’s benevolence, its fairness, the controllability of events, and a general measure of luck.
Conclusions. Moral trauma significantly affects the system of fundamental beliefs of internally displaced persons and is accompanied by the destruction of basic trust in the world. The findings are consistent with R. Yanov-Bulman’s concept of ‘shattered beliefs’ and highlight the need to take into account the cognitive consequences of moral traumatisation in the process of providing psychological support to IDPs.
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