Perceived Stress, Moral Distress, and Spiritual Intelligence of Clinical Nurses in the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has increased the psychological problems of people all over the world. In this crisis, nurses experienced complex physical and psychological stress.

This study aimed to determine the relationship of perceived stress with moral distress and the spiritual intelligence of clinical nurses in the context of COVID-19.

This cross-sectional study was conducted on 285 clinical nurses working in public hospitals in the city of Shahroud, Iran. Data collection instruments included a demographic data sheet, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), Corley’s Moral Distress Scale (MDS), and King’s Spiritual Intelligence Scale (SISRI-24). Descriptive (frequency, mean, and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (the independent t-test, Pearson correlation coefficient, and logistic regression analysis) were used to analyze the data.

The findings showed that nurses reported high levels of perceived stress (36.12 ± 5.14). Perceived stress was positively and significantly correlated with moral distress (P = 0.001, r = 0.09). Perceived stress was also significantly correlated with age (P < 0.01, r = 0.29) and work experience (P = 0.001, r = -0.85).

According to the findings, nurses must strive to reduce moral distress during the COVID-19 pandemic. For this purpose, psychosocial support for clinical nurses, stress management courses, and providing welfare facilities for nurses are essential.