The Effect of Surgical Nurses' Post-Pandemic Burnout and Psychological Distress on Moral Distress: Structural Equation Modeling

Introduction: Surgical nurses are at risk of experiencing psychological and moral distress because they work in high-stress environments. This study used structural equation modeling to examine the relationship between burnout, psychological distress, and moral distress experienced by surgical nurses after post-pandemic.
Methods: This study, conducted with a descriptive, cross-sectional, and correlational research design with the surgical nurses working at a university hospital between January and June 2022. Participants were administered the COVID-19 Burnout Scale, the COVID-19 Related Psychological Distress Scale, and the Moral Distress Scale. Data were analyzed using Pearson correlation and structural equation modeling.
Results: The study included 164 surgical nurses working at a university hospital. Of those, 84.1% of the participants were female, the mean age was 34.31±7.11, and 70.7% had a bachelor's degree. The nurses' burnout, psychological distress, and moral distress levels were found to be moderate. The findings revealed a significant and positive relationship between psychological distress, burnout, and moral distress. Burnout and psychological distress account for 84.8% of moral distress and stand out as significant predictors. Furthermore, burnout was found to have an indirect effect on moral distress through psychological distress. The resulting model had acceptable fit values.
Discussion and Conclusion: This study demonstrates that post-pandemic burnout and psychological distress significantly impacted moral distress among surgical nurses. The findings highlight the importance of psychological support and stress management interventions to enhance nurses' professional resilience.

Keywords: Burnout; COVID-19; Moral distress; Psychological distress; Surgical nurses