Adaptation of Moral Distress Scale for Nursing Students into Turkish: A Validity and Reliability Study

Abstract

Aim: Nursing students witness ethical and moral problems in health care settings and can even be involved in these situations. A student who wants to act for a solution with a sense of responsibility cannot take action due to his/her position and may feel powerless, inadequate, and helpless. This condition, defined as Moral Distress (MD), should be recognized, evaluated, and intervened by nurse educators to protect students' health, prevent weakness and provide qualified education. The study aims to introduce a valid and reliable measuring instrument to the Turkish Language and Culture that can be used to measure the MD levels of nursing students. Material and Methods: The sample of the study, which was carried out in methodological type, consisted of 410 3rd and 4th-grade nursing students studying at 48 different universities in 35 cities in Turkey. The data were collected online using the Participant Information form and Moral Distress Scale for Nursing Students (MDS-NS). Results: As a result of the explanatory factor analysis, different from the original scale structure, a three-factor structure that explains 47.64% of the total variance was determined. The reliability of the MDS-NS was evaluated with the Cronbach Alpha coefficient, test-retest method, and the item-total correlation coefficient. The Cronbach Alpha coefficient was .94 for the total scale and .85-.92 for the sub-dimensions. Conclusion: With its 41-item and three-factor structure, the MDS-NS is a valid and reliable tool for measuring the moral distress of nursing students. It is recommended to utilize MDS-NS in studies conducted to recognize, identify and measure MD, reduce MD and cope with MD.