The relationship between personal moral integrity and disability indicated by the mental health issue
Abstract
The study focuses on the relationship between personal moral integrity and disability indicated by the mental health issues. Personal moral integrity was assessed using a complex battery of self-report measures, which included four questionnaires: The Short Dark Triad, BFI-44, the Balanced Inventory of Desirable Responding and the core integrity test.
The assessment of disability was done using a 21-item structured interview. All methods were administered on individual basis to overall 77 patients with mood and neurotic disorders, who were hospitalized at the psychiatric department of NIMH.
The entire sample was divided into the group of clinical respondents with an external offer (already having a disability pension or are in a process of applying for one; N = 36, M = 37.5; SD = 14.81) and clinical respondents without an external offer (do not currently have a disability pension nor do they plan on applying for one; N = 41; M = 41.24; SD = 10.68). Both of these groups were matched based on gender, age and level of education to two control groups from a general population (N = 77) and the differences in moral integrity characteristics were evaluated.
From the perspective of integrity morals, we have found that both clinical groups of patients had only lower levels of conscientiousness measured by the BFI-44, when compared to general population. Positive aspect of the clinical sample was detected by lower tendency towards socially desirable style of responding, when compared to general population.
There were no differences found in administered tests between both clinical groups, in terms of the possession or absence of disability pension. We have further compared the two clinical groups of patients based on the possession of disability pension (or if they are planning to apply for one).
We have found that the group of patients with disability pension showed higher levels of neuroticism and lower levels of extraversion compared to the other clinical group. Looking into the personal moral integrity scales, they have showed only lower tendency towards non--clinical narcissism measured by the Dark Triad model and lower tendency towards socially desirable responding.
Further analyses have also showed quite apparent differences in socio-economic status in both clinical samples, which was worse in patients with disability pension. Overall, based on the results of our study there were no relationships found between the level of personal morals and disability.