Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40022125›Full record

ArticleChild and adolescent psychiatry and mental health2025

Moral distress among inpatient child and adolescent psychiatry staff: a mixed-methods study of experiences and associated factors.

Nora Eder, Kristin Nordenberg, Niklas Långström, Alexander Rozental, Astrid Moell

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Child and adolescent psychiatry and mental health, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Review
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Nora Eder *Stockholm Centre for Eating Disorders, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.
Kristin Nordenberg *Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.
Niklas LångströmCentre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, & Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-2686-6799
Alexander RozentalCentre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, & Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1019-0245
Astrid MoellCentre for Psychiatry Research, Department of Clinical Neuroscience, Karolinska Institutet, & Stockholm Health Care Services, Region Stockholm, Stockholm, Sweden. astrid.moell@ki.se.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1185-711X

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundMoral distress among healthcare staff is associated with emotional strain and workforce attrition but remains insufficiently explored in child and adolescent psychiatry (CAP). We investigated the experiences and factors contributing to moral distress among staff in inpatient CAP.

methodsWe conducted a 2023 nationwide mixed-methods survey with 106 staff members from CAP inpatient units in Sweden. Quantitative data on moral distress were collected using the Stress of Conscience Questionnaire, while open-ended questions provided qualitative data on perceptions of moral distress and the impact of working with coercive measures. Findings were integrated using triangulation.

resultsStaff reported high levels of moral distress, with physicians experiencing the highest. Triangulation revealed converging findings with younger and less experienced staff experiencing more moral distress. Aligning with the qualitative theme "Providing care one does not believe in", moral distress was also strongly associated with quantitative data of a demanding work environment, low social support, and intention to resign from job. The theme "Ethical dilemmas about coercive measures" indicated how coercive measure use could contribute to moral distress, while a more positive attitude to coercive measures was associated with lower moral distress.

conclusionsMoral distress among CAP inpatient staff in Sweden was pronounced, particularly among younger, less experienced professionals, and physicians. Addressing moral distress appears critical in supporting staff well-being, promoting workforce retention, and maintaining high-quality patient care.

Indexed as

Child and adolescent mental healthCoercive measuresHealth care professionalsInpatient careMoral distressPsychiatry

Identifiers

PMID40022125
PMCPMC11871634

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.