Moral Injury and Light Triad Traits: Anxiety and Depression in Health-Care Personnel During the Coronavirus-2019 Pandemic in Honduras

Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to determine the influence of moral injury and Light Triad (LT) personality traits on anxiety and depression symptoms of health-care personnel during the coronavirus-2019 pandemic. A quantitative, cross-sectional research design was used, the study included a sample of 169 health-care workers from Honduras. Data was gathered through the Moral Injury Symptom Scale for Health Professionals (MISS-HP), Light Triad Scale (LTS), the Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, and the Patient-Health Questionnaire-9. Results suggest that almost 9 out of 10 respondents experienced at least one potentially morally injurious event, 45.6% were at significant risk of impairment related to moral injury. Working with limited staff and resources, and the implications of it, was the most common potentially morally injurious situation reported by the respondents. Results suggest that MISS-HP Mistrust has significant negative correlations with LT traits. A hierarchical regression model determined that Moral Injury, but not LT traits, significantly affected depression symptoms. On the other hand, anxiety symptoms were significantly predicted by Moral Injury, as did LTS-Humanism. The results were discussed according to their implications for public health policy in Latin America.