Spiritual Well-Being and Moral Injury: Insights from the Armed Police Force, Nepal

Abstract

The Armed Police Force (APF), Nepal functions in high-stress and morally complex environments, making its personnel vulnerable to challenges related to Spiritual Well-Being (SWB) and Moral Injury (MI). An attempt was made to examine the link between SWB and MI and explored group differences across key demographic and service-related variables. A total of 167 APF service personnel participated in the study and completed the Spiritual Well-Being Scale (SWBS) and the Moral Injury Events Scale (MIES). Results revealed a weak but positive link between spiritual well-being and moral injury. No notable differences in SWB or MI were observed across groups based on age, gender, marital status, years of service, rank, deployment in conflict versus non-conflict areas, or combat exposure. However, anotable difference emerged in moral injury between service personnel with higher and lower educational levels, with lower-educated service personnel reporting greater moral injury. In contrast, no significant difference in spiritual well-being was found across educational levels.