Enrolling by invitation NCT07455370
A Study of Moral Distress, Moral Injury and Post-Traumatic Stress for Nurses
For patients and families
In plain language
An automatic summary of structured registry data. It is an orientation aid, not a substitute for the official protocol or a physician assessment.
- What is being studied
- The protocol lists: Surveys.
- Who it may be relevant to
- Registry conditions: Moral Injury, Moral Distress, Post-Traumatic Stress, Nurse Well-being. Basic parameters: No limits · All.
- What needs checking
- Age, condition and sex are only basic indicators. Prior treatment, laboratory values and other mandatory requirements appear in the eligibility criteria below.
- Where it takes place
- United States
- Next step
- Save the trial, show it to the treating physician, and confirm current recruitment with the study center. Costs, documents and travel →
Unsure about the terms? Read our patient guide →
Official title
Moral Distress, Moral Injury and Post-Traumatic Stress Among Mayo Clinic Nurses
Overview
The goal of this descriptive study is to examine levels of moral distress (MD), moral injury (MI), \& post-traumatic stress (PTS) levels among nursing staff at Mayo Clinic. The main questions this study aims to answer are: 1. Determine the levels of MD, MI, and PTS symptoms experienced by nurses who participate in the study. 2. Evaluate differences in MD, MI, and PTS symptoms by setting, specialties, and geographic locations. 3. Examine demographic and professional characteristics that are associated with high levels of MD, MI and PTS.
Interventions
- Other Surveys
Participants will complete an electronic survey containing the Measure of Moral Distress- Healthcare Professionals (MMD-HP), Moral Injury Outcome Scale (MIOS) including functional outcome measures adapted from the Brief Inventory of Psychosocial Functioning, The PCL-5 Checklist for DSM-5 (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PSTD) Checklist for the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (DSM-5)) (PCL-5), and the Well-Being Index (WBI), additionally including a demographic questionnai
Primary outcome measures
- Measure of Moral Distress-Healthcare Professionals (MMD-HP) Score [Time frame: Baseline]
- Moral Injury Outcome Scale (MIOS) score [Time frame: Baseline]
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PCL-5) score [Time frame: Baseline]
Eligibility criteria
Inclusion criteria
- Mayo Clinic Department of Nursing Staff including:
- Registered nurses
- Licensed practical nurses
- Nursing support staff (including roles such as patient care assistants, patient care specialists, medical assistants, and nurse technicians)
Exclusion criteria
- Social workers
- Chaplains
- Unit coordinators
- Other staff who do not support direct patient care but are within the nursing department
- Other employees outside the Department of Nursing
Criteria are shown verbatim from the registry (in English). Final eligibility is always assessed by the study center.
Healthy volunteers: No
Study design
- Observational model
- Case-only
Study locations
United States · 3 centers
- Mayo Clinic — Phoenix
- Mayo Clinic — Jacksonville
- Mayo Clinic — Rochester
Publications
- Dyrbye LN, Johnson PO, Johnson LM, Satele DV, Shanafelt TD. Efficacy of the Well-Being Index to Identify Distress and Well-Being in U.S. Nurses. Nurs Res. 2018 Nov/Dec;67(6):447-455. doi: 10.1097/NNR.0000000000000313. PMID 30138124
- Wortmann JH, Jordan AH, Weathers FW, Resick PA, Dondanville KA, Hall-Clark B, Foa EB, Young-McCaughan S, Yarvis JS, Hembree EA, Mintz J, Peterson AL, Litz BT. Psychometric analysis of the PTSD Checklist-5 (PCL-5) among treatment-seeking military service members. Psychol Assess. 2016 Nov;28(11):1392-1403. doi: 10.1037/pas0000260. Epub 2016 Jan 11. PMID 26751087
- Houle SA, Ein N, Gervasio J, Plouffe RA, Litz BT, Carleton RN, Hansen KT, Liu JJW, Ashbaugh AR, Callaghan W, Thompson MM, Easterbrook B, Smith-MacDonald L, Rodrigues S, Belanger SAH, Bright K, Lanius RA, Baker C, Younger W, Bremault-Phillips S, Hosseiny F, Richardson JD, Nazarov A; Atlas Institute Moral Injury Research Community of Practice. Measuring moral distress and moral injury: A systematic PMID 38218124
- Booth AT, Robinson KL. System-wide assessment using the Measure of Moral Distress - Healthcare professionals. Nurs Ethics. 2025 Aug;32(5):1629-1643. doi: 10.1177/09697330251324296. Epub 2025 Mar 3. PMID 40033517
- D'Alessandro-Lowe AM, Patel H, Easterbrook B, Ritchie K, Brown A, Xue Y, Karram M, Millman H, Sullo E, Pichtikova M, Nicholson A, Heber A, Malain A, O'Connor C, Schielke H, Rodrigues S, Hosseiny F, McCabe RE, Lanius RA, McKinnon MC. The independent and combined impact of moral injury and moral distress on post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic PMID 38334706
- Austin CL, Saylor R, Finley PJ. Moral distress in physicians and nurses: Impact on professional quality of life and turnover. Psychol Trauma. 2017 Jul;9(4):399-406. doi: 10.1037/tra0000201. Epub 2016 Oct 31. PMID 27797570
- Blevins CA, Weathers FW, Davis MT, Witte TK, Domino JL. The Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5): Development and Initial Psychometric Evaluation. J Trauma Stress. 2015 Dec;28(6):489-98. doi: 10.1002/jts.22059. Epub 2015 Nov 25. PMID 26606250
- Schuster M, Dwyer PA. Post-traumatic stress disorder in nurses: An integrative review. J Clin Nurs. 2020 Aug;29(15-16):2769-2787. doi: 10.1111/jocn.15288. Epub 2020 May 5. PMID 32372541
Identifiers
NCT: NCT07455370 · 25-008396 · Mayo Clinic CTSA