Research on posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in military veterans has increasingly
converged on the conclusion that several types of spiritual distress (guilt, shame, loss of
meaning and purpose, disruption in relationship with a higher power, and moral distress)
are related to mental health outcomes in cross-sectional, longitudinal, and cross-lag studies.
While theorists have suggested that theological and cognitive explanations for evil (ie,
theodicy) may play a role in this relationship, no studies have examined the relationships …