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.