Moral distress among nursing and non-nursing students

Area of Science:

• Medical Ethics
• Nursing Education
• Psychology

Background:

• Students in nursing programs may develop distinct attitudes toward end-of-life care and moral distress compared to peers in other fields.
• Previous assumptions suggest specialized training influences moral distress and end-of-life care perspectives.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether nursing students experience less moral distress and hold more favorable attitudes toward hastened death than non-nursing students.
• To compare moral distress levels and attitudes toward hastened death between nursing and non-nursing undergraduate majors.

Main Methods:

• Survey administered to 66 undergraduates (nursing and non-nursing majors) in the southeastern USA.
• Utilized standardized measures to assess moral distress and attitudes toward hastened death.

Main Results:

• No significant differences were found in moral distress or attitudes toward hastened death between nursing and non-nursing majors.
• All participants reported moderate moral distress and strong resistance to hastened death, with no significant correlation between these factors.
• In a small subsample of nurses in training, hastened death scenarios did not appear to be a major source of moral distress.

Conclusions:

• Nursing education does not appear to significantly alter attitudes towards hastened death or reduce moral distress compared to other fields.
• Moral distress and resistance to hastened death are prevalent among students but not significantly correlated.
• Findings suggest that end-of-life care scenarios may not be the primary driver of moral distress for nursing students.