Methods: This study used a descriptive correlational design to examine moral distress, moral courage, and moral resilience among undergraduate nursing students in addition to investigating their interrelationships. A convenience sample of nursing students distributed among three sites were surveyed using three tools: the Moral Distress Thermometer (MDT), the Connor-Davidson Moral Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), and the Moral Courage Scale for Physicians (MSCP). Secondary research questions asked if students with higher moral resilience have less moral distress, or if students with higher moral courage have less moral distress, and does moral courage predict moral distress more than moral resiliency.
Results: Forty-five senior nursing students reported mild levels of moral distress (M = 2.73, SD = 1.9). Moral resilience was significantly correlated with moral courage, age, and students having a previous degree. Moral questions added to the CD-RISC had significant relationships that contributes to the paucity of measuring moral resilience.
Conclusion: The findings from this research study contribute to the gap in literature regarding the concepts of moral distress, moral courage, and moral resilience in nursing students. This study expands the literature in providing a baseline assessment of moral resilience in nursing students. Interventions to cultivate moral resilience in nursing curricula is necessary. Valid instruments to measure moral resilience and moral distress in nursing students should also be investigated further.