Moral resilience and quiet quitting tendencies among pediatric nurses: A multiple linear regression study

To examine the relationship between pediatric nurses' moral resilience and quiet quitting tendencies, and to identify demographic and professional predictors of this behavior.

Quiet quitting-defined as completing only required duties while disengaging from additional responsibilities-has gained attention in nursing due to its potential impact on patient care and workforce sustainability. Pediatric nurses encounter unique ethical and emotional challenges, which can potentially increase their vulnerability to disengagement. Moral resilience, the ability to uphold ethical integrity under stress, is considered a protective factor; however, its role in pediatric nursing remains underexplored.

A cross-sectional, descriptive, correlational study was conducted between January and May 2025 in Türkiye, following Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) guidelines. Data were collected from 400 pediatric nurses using convenience and snowball sampling, via a Demographic Information Form, the Rushton Moral Resilience Scale, and the Quiet Quitting Scale. Pearson correlation and hierarchical linear regression were applied.

Moral resilience was moderately and negatively correlated with quiet quitting (r = -0.39, p < 0.001). Demographic factors explained 5.5% of the variance in quiet quitting, while adding moral resilience increased the explained variance to 19.3% (ΔR² = 0.138, p < 0.001). Moral resilience was the strongest predictor (β = -0.376, p < 0.001).

Higher moral resilience significantly reduces the tendency toward quiet quitting among pediatric nurses. Interventions that strengthen moral resilience through targeted training, ethical climate improvement, and organizational support could enhance nurse engagement and workforce sustainability.