Moral Distress and Psychosomatic Problems in Nurses: A Review Article

Background: Moral distress in nursing refers to engagement in actions contrary to nurses’ moral beliefs. This issue has recently turned into a daunting challenge contributing to the occurrence of psychosomatic problems. Objectives: The present research aimed to review the studies performed in this field. Methods: For this purpose, PubMed, Scopus, Google Scholar, and national databases, such as SID, IranDoc, and MagIran, were examined to find relevant articles using the following keywords: moral distress of nurses and psychosomatic problems, separately and in combination, in English and Persian. Finally, after removing duplicate articles, 25 articles were examined. Results: Based on the results, in most articles, there was a direct relationship between moral distress and psychosomatic disorders among nurses, and their simultaneous presence exerts a strengthening effect on both. Conclusion: The conditions that cause moral distress and psychophysical problems play a key role in the quality of care, and while exerting a negative effect on the treatment process and nurses, lead to job burnout and, ultimately, an inefficient healthcare system. Therefore, it is of paramount importance to raise nurses’ awareness of moral distress and subsequent psychophysical problems.