ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Psychiatry
Sec. Psychological Therapy and Psychosomatics
This article is part of the Research TopicConceptualizing Moral Injury: theoretical models proposed to facilitate understanding and interventionView all articles
The contribution of moral injury to Israeli teachers' mental health difficulties: The mediating role of shame and guilt
Provisionally accepted
- 1Ruppin Academic Center, Hefer Valley, Israel
- 2Ariel University, Ariel, Israel
- 3Ruppin Academic Center, Hadera, Israel
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Exposure to potentially morally injurious events (PMIEs) has been found to contribute to mental health difficulties (MHD). However, research on PMIE exposure and its consequences among teachers is scant. In this study, we aimed to narrow this gap by examining the associations between teachers' exposure to PMIEs and measures of depression, anxiety, burnout, and intention to leave the profession. Furthermore, we examined the mediating role of expressions of moral injury (i.e., shame and guilt) in these associations. A sample of 253 Israeli teachers (186 female, 73%) aged 23-66 (Mage = 44, SD = 10.36) completed validated self-report questionnaires assessing the study variables. The findings demonstrated that exposure to PMIEs contributed significantly to depression, anxiety, burnout, and intention to leave the profession. Through structural equation model analysis, we found that expressions of moral injury mediated the association between PMIEs and MHD. This study underscores the need to address moral injury among teachers as an essential factor for maintaining their mental health, as well as the overall sustainability of the educational system. Early screening and interventions are needed to identify and treat teachers at risk for MHD stemming from moral injury.
Keywords: moral injury, teachers, burnout, Depression, Anxiety
Received: 25 May 2025; Accepted: 25 Nov 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Kaplan, Zerach and Levi-Belz. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Yossi Levi-Belz
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