A contextual behavioral approach for responding to moral dilemmas in the age of COVID-19

Abstract

Prior pandemics and current news stories suggest that a “second pandemic” of potentially devastating mental health consequences will follow the COVID-19 pandemic. Given the changing contextual demands associated with the pandemic for many people, the mental health consequences of COVID-19 are likely to include exposure to a range of moral dilemmas. Such dilemmas may set the stage for the development of moral distress and moral injury in a broad range of contexts from the ER to the grocery store. In the current paper we offer an approach to responding to moral dilemmas presented by COVID-19. We propose a contextual behavioral model of moral injury that is relevant to those experiencing moral pain associated with the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on this model, we offer two different approaches to intervening on COVID-19-related moral dilemmas. First, we propose the use of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Moral Injury (ACT-MI) among individuals suffering from moral injury. Second, to intervene on moral dilemmas at the level of the group, we propose the use of the Prosocial intervention. We offer case examples describing ACT-MI and Prosocial to highlight how these interventions might be applied to moral-dilemma-related concerns during the COVID-19 pandemic and discuss implications for future research.