Who counts as 'us'? Latent profiles of moral inclusiveness, trauma history, and psychological wellbeing.

Latent profile analysis of moral inclusiveness in 763 U.S. participants revealed five distinct profiles: Ingroup Concern, Outgroup Concern, Average Overall Concern, Universal Empathy, and Lovers.

• Cross-sectional sample of 763 U.S. participants
• LPA was applied across four validated scales: Kindness, Compassion, Global-Mindedness, and Speciesism
• Profiles spanned nested layers of relational proximity including family, community, global citizen, and nonhuman living beings
• Moral inclusiveness was examined as distinct profiles rather than a single global trait

The Ingroup Concern class exhibited the highest levels of psychopathology among all five profiles.

• The Ingroup Concern class showed the highest levels of psychopathology compared to other latent profiles
• This class also reported the most recent traumatic events
• Elevated spiritual decline was also characteristic of the Ingroup Concern class
• This profile was associated with a more parochial or limited moral scope

The Universal Empathy and Lovers classes reported low current distress, minimal spiritual decline, and significantly higher awakened awareness.

• Both Universal Empathy and Lovers classes showed low current distress
• These classes were characterized by minimal spiritual decline
• Significantly higher awakened awareness was observed in these two classes
• These profiles suggest participants experienced adversity yet still maintained meaning and/or guidance

Lifetime trauma exposure alone did not preclude a broad moral scope of inclusion.

• Both the Ingroup Concern and Universal Empathy classes reported substantial trauma histories
• Despite similar lifetime trauma histories, these two classes diverged markedly in moral inclusiveness
• The divergence between these classes may be due to differences in spiritual injury and ongoing stress
• Recent traumatic events, rather than lifetime trauma, were more characteristic of the Ingroup Concern class

A more parochial or limited moral scope was associated with lifetime and recent adversity, current mental health challenges, and spiritual injury.

• The association between limited moral scope and psychopathology was reflected most strongly in the Ingroup Concern profile
• Spiritual decline, a measure of spiritual injury, was elevated in the more parochially-oriented profile
• Recent traumatic events were most prevalent in the Ingroup Concern class
• This pattern suggests that ongoing stress and spiritual injury may narrow moral inclusiveness

More expansive concern for human and fellow living beings was associated with positive spiritual engagement and fewer immediate negative life events.

• Universal Empathy and Lovers classes, representing broader moral circles, showed higher awakened awareness
• These expansively-oriented classes reported fewer immediate negative life events
• Positive spiritual engagement was a distinguishing feature of profiles with broader moral inclusiveness
• Three spiritual dimensions were assessed: general spirituality, spiritual decline, and awakened awareness

The study used a cross-sectional design with measures assessing moral inclusiveness, mental health, lifetime and recent traumatic events, and three spiritual dimensions.

• Measures included assessments of moral inclusiveness, mental health, lifetime traumatic events, and recent traumatic events
• Three spiritual dimensions were assessed: general spirituality, spiritual decline, and awakened awareness
• The sample consisted of 763 U.S. participants
• The study was cross-sectional in design, limiting causal inference