A study comparing military veterans who deployed to a combat zone after 9/11 and health care workers working during the COVID-19 pandemic found similar levels of potential moral injury (PMI), with 46.1 percent of veterans and 50.7 percent of health care workers reporting PMI. 

PMI is a response that can occur following events that violate a person’s moral or ethical code. The study found that it is associated with significantly higher depressive symptoms and worse quality of life in both groups.