Abstract
Background and aims: Nurses employed in COVID-19 units experience many moral distresses, which can affect their quality of life. Hence, this study was conducted to investigate the relationship between nurses’ moral distress and quality of life and the factors related to them during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Methods: This descriptive-correlational study included 200 nurses employed in the COVID-19 wards of Medical Sciences Hospitals in Jiroft, Kerman, Iran, selected through a census sampling method. Data were collected using a demographic questionnaire, the Corley Moral Distress Assessment Scale, and the World Health Organization Quality of Life (WHOQOL) Scale. Descriptive statistics and stepwise multiple linear regression analyses were conducted using SPSS version 22, with a significance level set at 0.05.
Results: Nurses’ mean moral distress was 68.52 ± 37.32 (low), and the mean quality of life score was 56.00 ± 17.67 (moderate). An inverse and significant relationship was observed between moral distress scores and quality of life (r=-0.195, P=0.006). The results of the linear regression test showed that moral distress, gender, and position, with standard beta coefficients of 0.289, 0.187, and 0.171, respectively, had the highest regression effect on nurses’ quality of life.
Conclusion: Although nurses working in the COVID-19 wards experience low levels of moral distress, considering the moderate level of quality of life, the impact of moral distress, and some background characteristics, health policymakers’ closer attention is suggested to develop mechanisms to control and reduce moral distress and improve quality of life.