Moral Distress and Related Factors in Undergraduate Nursing Students

Moral distress is a stressful experience in the face of clinical decision making that causes severe psychological stress. This common phenomenon occurs when a person cannot take appropriate action despite being aware of that. Nursing students are also exposed to moral damage during clinical education, so, this study was conducted to investigate moral distress and related factors in nursing students.

In a descriptive correlational study, 350 nursing students in Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences participated in 2019. They were selected via available sampling. Demographic information and educational information were recorded, and Moral Distress Scale-Revised (MDS-R) was completed. In this scale, the scores range from zero to 336 and a high score indicates a higher level of moral distress. The scale examines moral distress from two aspects; frequency of an event and its severity. Data analysis was done using SPSS V25.

The mean score for moral distress in nursing students was 78.59±35.79. The mean score for frequency of moral distress was 31.66±10.05 and the mean score for the intensity of moral distress was 42.76±13.38. Findings showed low levels of moral distress in nursing students. Linear regression analysis also showed a significant relationship between moral distress and age, place of residence, and type of residence (P= 0.0010, r2= 0.09).

Moral distress is experienced by nursing students, therefore, clinical education programs should focus on morally stressful events and help the students to cope and reduce any negative consequences.