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Author

Natalie Purcell

Other affiliations: Veterans Health Administration
Bio: Natalie Purcell is an academic researcher from University of California, San Francisco. The author has contributed to research in topics: Health care & Moral injury. The author has an hindex of 8, co-authored 21 publications receiving 274 citations. Previous affiliations of Natalie Purcell include Veterans Health Administration.

Papers
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Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Scientific research about moral injury is reviewed, summarizing lessons from the literature and offering recommendations for future research.
Abstract: Individuals who are exposed to traumatic events that violate their moral values may experience severe distress and functional impairments known as "moral injuries." Over the last decade, moral injury has captured the attention of mental health care providers, spiritual and faith communities, media outlets, and the general public. Research about moral injury, especially among military personnel and veterans, has also proliferated. For this article, we reviewed scientific research about moral injury. We identified 116 relevant epidemiological and clinical studies. Epidemiological studies described a wide range of biological, psychological/behavioral, social, and religious/spiritual sequelae associated with exposure to potentially morally injurious events. Although a dearth of empirical clinical literature exists, some authors debated how moral injury might and might not respond to evidence-based treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) whereas others identified new treatment models to directly address moral repair. Limitations of the literature included variable definitions of potentially morally injurious events, the absence of a consensus definition and gold-standard measure of moral injury as an outcome, scant study of moral injury outside of military-related contexts, and clinical investigations limited by small sample sizes and unclear mechanisms of therapeutic effect. We conclude our review by summarizing lessons from the literature and offering recommendations for future research.

294 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: Based on focus group and individual interviews with 26 combat veterans, this article examined the psychosocial and interpersonal consequences of killing in war and concluded that the consequences of war can be categorized into two categories: psychological and interpersonal.
Abstract: Based on focus group and individual interviews with 26 combat veterans, this qualitative thematic analysis examines the psychosocial and interpersonal consequences of killing in war. It describes t...

47 citations

Book
13 Jun 2012
TL;DR: In this paper, the authors discuss the relationship between violence and the pornography Imaginary, and present a survey of contemporary pornography with a focus on women's empowerment and women's sexual politics.
Abstract: Selected Contents: Introduction: Violence and the Pornographic Imaginary 1. "Just Fantasy": Rethinking the Pornographic, the Fantastic, and the Real 2. Golden-Age Assaults: Heat and Hostility in 1970s Pornography 3. Romance and Rebellion: The Two Faces of 1980s Pornography 4. Expressive Bodies, Intense Encounters: Realism in 1990s Pornography 5. Banal Brutality: In Search of Extremes in 2000s Pornography 6. Sex, Gender, and Power: Aesthetics of Arousal in Contemporary Pornography 7. Body and Soul: Pleasure, Pain, and Self-Revelation in Today's Hardcore 8.Conclusion: Pornography, Feminism, and Tomorrow's Sexual Politics

36 citations

Journal ArticleDOI
TL;DR: It was found that many veterans processed their killing experiences for the first time in IOK, even though all had previously completed evidence-based treatments for posttraumatic stress disorder.
Abstract: This paper evaluates the Impact of Killing (IOK) treatment—a psychological intervention designed to address moral injury and trauma associated with killing in war. Using qualitative data from inter...

25 citations

01 Oct 2016
TL;DR: This paper examined the psychosocial and interpersonal consequences of killing in war and found that for many veterans, killing provokes a moral conflict with a lasting impact on their sense of self, spirituality, and relationships with others.
Abstract: Based on focus group and individual interviews with 26 combat veterans, thisqualitative thematic analysis examines the psychosocial and interpersonalconsequences of killing in war. It describes the consequences that veteransidentify as most relevant in their lives, including postwar changes in emotions,cognitions, relationships, and identity. Furthermore, it illustrates the linkedpsychological and social dimensions of those consequences—namely, howthe impact of killing in war is rooted in the unique perspectives, actions, andexperiences of individual veterans, as well as the social worlds they confrontupon returning from war. We found that, for many veterans, killing provokesa moral conflict with a lasting impact on their sense of self, spirituality, andrelationships with others. In working with combat veterans, mental healthprofessionals should be sensitive to the complexities of discussing killing andattuned to the psychosocial challenges veterans may face after taking a lifein war.

25 citations