The term moral injury was coined in the 1990s by psychiatrist Jonathon Shay who observed the presence of it in Vietnam military veterans. It refers to the trauma of behaving or witnessing experiences that go against a person’s values/moral beliefs.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) develops in people who have experienced a traumatic event. It’s diagnosed when a person experiences its symptoms for at least a month after a trauma (click here for our page defining trauma) has occurred.

Highly stressful or traumatic events that occur within generations impact individuals differently and their response to the trauma are shown to pass on to the next generation. This is known as intergenerational trauma.