UNRAVELLING THE IMPACT OF MORAL INJURY ON THE PSYCHOLOGICAL WELL-BEING AND THE MEDIATING ROLE OF RELIGIOUS SUPPORT AMONG PAKISTAN POLICE PERSONNEL

Abstract

This study explored the effect of moral injury on psychological well-being among Pakistani police personnel and examined whether religious coping mediates this relationship. Using a cross-sectional, mixed-methods design, data were collected from 183 police personnel via the Moral Injury Distress Scale (MIDS), Ryff’s Psychological Well-Being Scale, and the Brief Religious Coping Scale (Brief RCOPE).Quantitative analysis disclosed an unexpected positive correlation between moral injury and psychological well-being, r(181) = .34, p < .001, propose that in the cultural and spiritual context of Pakistani law enforcement, moral injury may foster moral reflection, spiritual growth, and resilience. Simple linear regression confirmed that moral injury significantly predicted psychological well-being, F(1, 180) = 22.88, p < .001, with moral injury accounting for 11.3% of the variance in well-being (B = 0.25). However, mediation analysis showed that religious coping, despite being significantly associated with moral injury (B = 0.05, p = .007), did not predict psychological well-being (B = -0.16, p = .484), and the indirect effect was non-significant (B = -0.01, 95% CI [-0.03, 0.03]).The qualitative portion, derived from thematic analysis of open-ended responses in the MIDS, exposed seven themes: moral violations and personal regret, integrity compromised by power and corruption, witnessing injustice without the power to act, regret over missed compassion, struggles between justice and a flawed system, navigating ethical dilemmas, and pain from mob justice. These narratives revealed moral conflicts, institutional helplessness, and emotional burdens. Together, the findings challenge Western assumptions about moral injury as uniformly harmful, suggesting instead that in religious and collectivist cultures, moral injury can become a catalyst for psychological growth, moral resilience, and self-reconstruction.