The impact of resilience on clinical nurses' moral courage during COVID-19: A moderated mediation model of ethical climate and moral distress

Abstract

Aim: The purpose of this study was to explore whether clinical ethical climate mediates the relationship between resilience and moral courage in a population of clinical nurses during COVID-19, and if moral distress faced by nurses is a moderating factor.

Background: Resilience can help nurses maintain their personal health during COVID-19 when they face great physical and psychological shock and are prone to health problems. Moral courage, as an ethical competency, helps nursing staff in adhering to the principles and values of professional ethics. There is a strong correlation between resilience and moral courage, but the mechanism by which resilience contributes to moral courage is unclear.

Method: A cross-sectional study research is designed. Three hundred thirty clinical nurses from six hospitals in Beijing, Sichuan, and Fujian of China were included between August 2021 and March 2022. The survey instruments include the Nurses' Moral Courage Scale (NMCS), Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), Moral Distress Scale-Revised (MDS-R), and Hospital Ethical Climate Scale (HECS).

Results: Ethical climate mediates 15% of the relationship between resilience and moral courage. The association between resilience and ethical climate, as well as the indirect relationship between resilience and moral courage, was modified by moral distress.

Discussion: This study investigated the mechanisms by which resilience affects moral courage in clinical nurses in the context of COVID-19, suggesting that moral courage can be increased by alleviating moral distress and increasing ethical climate.

Implications for nursing and health policy: This study confirms the mediating effect of moral climate on the relationship between resilience and moral courage, as well as the moderating effect of moral distress. Hospital policymakers should value nurses' psychological resilience and moral courage, develop effective policies to prevent and manage stressors, build social support systems, and create a positive ethical climate.

Keywords: China; ethical climate; moral courage; moral distress; nurses; resilience.