Moral sensitivity, moral courage, and ethical behaviour among clinical nurses

Background: Ethical behaviour in nursing practice is integral to establishing a harmonious nurse-patient relationship and improving the quality of care. A multitude of factors shapes such behaviour. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the interplay between these factors.Research objectives: This...

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Auteurs: Chen, Qihui (Auteur) ; Chen, Qin (Auteur) ; Ma, Chenxiao (Auteur) ; Zhang, Yanan (Auteur) ; Gou, Mengyu (Auteur) ; Yang, Weiyu (Auteur)
Type de support: Électronique Article
Langue:Anglais
Vérifier la disponibilité: HBZ Gateway
Interlibrary Loan:Interlibrary Loan for the Fachinformationsdienste (Specialized Information Services in Germany)
Publié: 2025
Dans: Nursing ethics
Année: 2025, Volume: 32, Numéro: 2, Pages: 665-677
Sujets non-standardisés:B Ethical Behaviour
B clinical nurses
B mediating effect
B Moral Sensitivity
B moral competence
B moral courage
Accès en ligne: Volltext (lizenzpflichtig)
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Résumé:Background: Ethical behaviour in nursing practice is integral to establishing a harmonious nurse-patient relationship and improving the quality of care. A multitude of factors shapes such behaviour. Therefore, it is crucial to understand the interplay between these factors.Research objectives: This study aimed to explore the mechanisms underlying the influence of moral sensitivity on nurses’ ethical behaviour and clarify the mediating role of moral courage.Research design: This cross-sectional quantitative study was conducted between July and August 2023.Participants and Research Context: The sample comprised 465 clinical nurses from three tertiary hospitals in Zhengzhou City, Henan Province, China. Data were collected using the Chinese version of the Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire-Revised Version, Nurses’ Moral Courage Scale, and Ethical Behaviour Scale for Nurses. Data analysis was performed with SPSS 26.0 and AMOS 24.0, using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis, structural equation modelling, and bootstrapping methods.Ethical considerations: This study was approved by the Ethical Review Committee of Life Sciences of Zhengzhou University, China.Results: The participants were predominantly female (95.1%), with a mean age of 31.9 years. Moral courage and moral sensitivity were positively correlated with ethical behaviour. Moral sensitivity was positively associated with moral courage. Moral courage partially mediates the relationship between moral sensitivity and ethical behaviour. The indirect effect of nurses’ moral sensitivity on ethical behaviour was quantified through moral courage (indirect effect = 0.290).Conclusion: Moral courage intermediates nurses’ moral sensitivity and ethical behaviour. This conclusion provides nursing administrators with the insight that improving clinical nurses’ moral sensitivity and courage can contribute to ensuring appropriate ethical behaviour.
ISSN:1477-0989
Contient:Enthalten in: Nursing ethics
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1177/09697330241259150