ArticleInternational journal of environmental research and public health2021
Moral Distress and Perceived Community Views Are Associated with Mental Health Symptoms in Frontline Health Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic.
Article in International journal of environmental research and public health, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 43 papers.
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Who cites it
43 citing papers in PubMed, 78 citations in OpenAlex.
- Preventing and reducing burnout globally: a six continent thematic assessment.Research connections · 2026Article
- Moral distress of primary health care workers during the global pandemic.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Ethical Prioritization of Healthcare Access During Pandemics in Jordan: A Cross-Sectional Study of Physician Awareness, Confidence in Ethical Decision-Making and the Role of COVID-19-Specific Training.Journal of healthcare leadership · 2026Article
- Evolution of stressors for healthcare workers over the COVID-19 pandemic.Occupational medicine (Oxford, England) · 2025Article
- Understanding and Addressing Morally Injurious Events of Healthcare Chaplains in Texas: Insights for Health and Well-Being.Journal of religion and health · 2025Article
- Adaptation of meaning-centered psychotherapy for healthcare providers to buffer work-induced distress and improve wellbeing.Translational behavioral medicine · 2025Article
- The collective experience of moral distress: a qualitative analysis of perspectives of frontline health workers during COVID-19.Philosophy, ethics, and humanities in medicine : PEHM · 2025Article
- Self-compassion and work engagement among clinical nurses: the mediating role of moral resilience.Frontiers in public health · 2025Article
- Health care workers' qualitative descriptions of ethically challenging situations evoking moral distress during Covid-19.Nursing ethics · 2024Article
- Strategies to mitigate moral distress as reported by eldercare professionals.International journal of qualitative studies on health and well-being · 2024Article
- From Crisis to Opportunity: A Qualitative Study on Rehabilitation Therapists' Experiences and Post-Pandemic Perspectives.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Moral Distress and Moral Injury in Military Healthcare Clinicians: A Scoping Review.AJPM focus · 2024Article
- Novel Web-Based Drop-In Mindfulness Sessions (Pause-4-Providers) to Enhance Well-Being Among Health Care Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Descriptive and Qualitative Study.JMIR formative research · 2024Article
- Ethical value conflicts in healthcare and their effects on nurses' health, turnover intent, team effectiveness, and patient safety: a longitudinal questionnaire study.Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health · 2024Article
- Moral courage and its influencing factor among oncology specialist nurses: A multi-centre cross-sectional study.Nursing open · 2024Article
- Canadian respiratory therapists who considered leaving their clinical position experienced elevated moral distress and adverse psychological and functional outcomes during the COVID-19 pandemic.Health promotion and chronic disease prevention in Canada : research, policy and practice · 2023Article
- Burn-out in the health workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic: opportunities for workplace and leadership approaches to improve well-being.BMJ leader · 2023Article
- Invisible no more: unpaid care giving in the shadow of covid-19.BMJ (Clinical research ed.) · 2023Article
- The Psychological and Wellbeing Impacts of Quarantine on Frontline Workers during COVID-19 and Beyond.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2023Article
- Spanish psychometric properties of the moral distress scale-revised: a study in healthcare professionals treating COVID-19 patients.BMC medical ethics · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
4 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundSudden changes in clinical practice and the altered ability to care for patients due to the COVID-19 pandemic have been associated with moral distress and mental health concerns in healthcare workers internationally. This study aimed to investigate the severity, prevalence, and predictors of moral distress experienced by Australian healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
methodsA nationwide, voluntary, anonymous, single time-point, online survey of self-identified frontline healthcare workers was conducted between 27th August and 23rd October 2020. Participants were recruited through health organisations, professional associations, or colleges, universities, government contacts, and national media.
results7846 complete responses were received from nurses (39.4%), doctors (31.1%), allied health staff (16.7%), or other roles (6.7%). Many participants reported moral distress related to resource scarcity (58.3%), wearing PPE (31.7%) limiting their ability to care for patients, exclusion of family going against their values (60.2%), and fear of letting co-workers down if they were infected (55.0%). Many personal and workplace predictors of moral distress were identified, with those working in certain frontline areas, metropolitan locations, and with prior mental health diagnoses at particular risk of distress. Moral distress was associated with increased risk of anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, and burnout. Conversely, feeling appreciated by the community protected against these risks in healthcare workers.
conclusionsSafeguarding healthcare workforces during crises is important for both patient safety and workforce longevity. Targeted interventions are required to prevent or minimise moral distress and associated mental health concerns in healthcare workers during COVID-19 and other crises.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.