The Effect of Moral Sensitivity and Moral Distress on the Caring Behavior of Nurses in Neonatal and Pediatric Intensive Care Units*

Abstract

This study was conducted to investigate the effect of moral sensitivity and moral distress on the caring behavior of neonatal and pediatric intensive care unit nurses. A survey was conducted on 121 nurses working in the neonatal and pediatric intensive care units of five general hospitals in two regions of South Korea. The study found significant differences in moral sensitivity (p =.002), moral distress (p =.001), and caring behavior (p =.013) according to age. There were also significant differences according to career, marriage, and experience in ethics education. A multiple regression analysis confirmed that moral sensitivity (p <.001) and moral distress (p =.027) had a significant effect on caring behavior, accounting for 22.5% and 10.3% of the observed data, respectively. The results of this study may help to identify ways of improving the caring behavior of nurses working in neonatal and pediatric intensive care units.