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Analysis of moral courage and related factors among undergraduate nursing students: a scoping review

Análisis del coraje moral y factores relacionados entre estudiantes de graduación en enfermería: scoping review

ABSTRACT

Objective:

to analyze scientific evidence on moral courage and related factors among nursing undergraduate students.

Method:

the protocol of this scoping review was registered on Open Science Framework. A search was performed in five databases, according to the method provided by Joanna Briggs Institute Reviewers, the mnemonic strategy Population, Concept and Context, and a specific checklist.

Results:

a total of 2,812 results were identified, but only nine studies were eligible and presented three thematic approaches: Moral courage from the perspective of nursing students; Moral courage and related factors; and The teaching of moral courage in the training of nursing students. The factors related to moral courage include moral distress, moral sensitivity, age, and having a previous degree in the health field.

Final Considerations:

few studies were found with a low evidence level. Most were performed in developed countries, indicating some gaps that need to be addressed in the future.

Descriptors:
Nursing Students; Nursing Ethics; Courage; Morale; Review.

RESUMEN

Objetivo:

analizar las evidencias científicas sobre el coraje moral y factores relacionados entre estudiantes de graduación en enfermería.

Métodos:

se trata de un scoping review con protocolo registrado en el Open Science Framework, realizado en cinco bases de datos, conforme método de Joanna Briggs Institute Reviewers, estrategia mnemónica Población, Concepto y Contexto, y checklist específico.

Resultados:

se identificaron 2.812 resultados, siendo que nueve estudios fueron seleccionados. Tres enfoques temáticos fueron identificados: Percepción del coraje moral por los estudiantes de enfermería; Coraje moral y factores relacionados; y, la Enseñanza del coraje moral en el ámbito de la formación de estudiantes de enfermería. Entre los factores relacionados con el coraje moral, se destacaron el sufrimiento moral, la sensibilidad moral, la edad y la presencia de un título anterior en el área de la salud.

Consideraciones Finales:

se evidenciaron pocas publicaciones y con bajo nivel de evidencias provenientes, mayoritariamente, de países desarrollados, indicando que existen vacíos que necesitan ser llenados.

Descriptores:
Estudiantes de Enfermería; Ética en Enfermería; Coraje; Moral; Revisión.

RESUMO

Objetivo:

analisar as evidências científicas sobre a coragem moral e fatores relacionados entre estudantes de graduação em enfermagem.

Métodos:

trata-se de uma scoping review com protocolo registrado no Open Science Framework, realizada em cinco bases de dados, conforme método do Joanna Briggs Institute Reviewers, estratégia mnemônica População, Conceito e Contexto, e checklist específico.

Resultados:

identificou-se 2.812 resultados, sendo que nove estudos foram elegidos. Três enfoques temáticos foram identificados: Percepção da coragem moral pelos estudantes de enfermagem; Coragem moral e fatores relacionados; e Ensino da coragem moral no âmbito da formação de estudantes de enfermagem. Dentre os fatores relacionados com a coragem moral, destacou-se o sofrimento moral, a sensibilidade moral, a idade e a presença de um diploma anterior na área da saúde.

Considerações Finais:

evidenciou-se poucas publicações e com baixo nível de evidência, sendo oriundas majoritariamente de países desenvolvidos, indicando que lacunas ainda precisam ser preenchidas.

Descritores:
Estudantes de Enfermagem; Ética em Enfermagem; Coragem; Moral; Revisão.

INTRODUCTION

Health workers often experience situations that impose ethical challenges and may lead to professional burnout and moral distress(11 Antonsdottir I, Rushton CH, Nelson KE, Heinze KE, Swoboda SM, Hanson GC. Burnout and moral resilience in interdisciplinary healthcare professionals. J Clin Nurs. 2022;31(1-2):196-208. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.15896
https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.15896...
-22 Rushton CH, Schoonover-Shoffner K, Kennedy MS. Executive summary: transforming moral distress into moral resilience in nursing. J Christ Nurs. 2017;34(2):82-86. https://doi.org/10.1097/cnj.0000000000000386
https://doi.org/10.1097/cnj.000000000000...
). Moral distress occurs when nurses cannot act according to their professional judgment and/or personal values due to external constraints or internal characteristics and may negatively impact them personally and professionally, affecting their physical, emotional, or psychological health. Ultimately, it may impact the quality of care delivery and even harm patients (33 Deschenes S, Gagnon M, Park T, Kunyk D. Moral distress: A concept clarification. Nurs Ethics. 2020;27(4):1127-46. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733020909523
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733020909523...
).

Nursing students may often experience violations of patient safety and dignity during clinical practice, and most are unable to act against these inappropriate practices. Even when some students manage to challenge these practices indirectly, patients may still find themselves at risk, and students continue to experience moral distress(44 Bickhoff L, Sinclair PM, Levett-Jones T. Moral courage in undergraduate nursing students: a literature review. Collegian. 2017;24(1):71-83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2015.08.002
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2015.08...
).

Therefore, moral courage is a valuable virtue, responsible for helping nursing students and professionals in the process of making proper and ethical moral decisions, despite adverse consequences for themselves(55 Numminen O, Konings K, Claerhout R, Gastmans C, Katajisto J, Leino-Kilpi H, et al. Validation of the Dutch-language version of Nurses’ Moral Courage Scale. Nurs Ethics. 2021;28(5):809-22. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0969733020981754
https://doi.org/10.1177%2F09697330209817...
). One of the requirements to establish a moral practice in nursing is the ability of nursing professionals to think and act morally and ethically(66 Numminen O, Repo H, Leino-Kilpi H. Moral courage in nursing: a concept analysis. Nurs Ethics. 2017;24(8):878-91. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733016634155
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733016634155...
). Moral courage in the nursing field has many dimensions and levels, being expressed by nursing professionals through some attributes such as true presence, moral integrity, responsibility, honesty, advocacy, commitment, perseverance and personal sacrifice(66 Numminen O, Repo H, Leino-Kilpi H. Moral courage in nursing: a concept analysis. Nurs Ethics. 2017;24(8):878-91. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733016634155
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733016634155...
).

In this context, one of the ways in which nurses can ensure patient safety is through actions imbued with moral courage. Although the acts that involve this virtue are not always noticed, they permeate everyday practice. Even though nursing students are taught to recognize their morals and values, they are not always able or choose to be brave and speak openly about inappropriate practices(77 Gibson E. Student courage: An essential for today’s health education. Nurs Forum. 2018;53(3):369-75. https://doi.org/10.1111/nuf.12254
https://doi.org/10.1111/nuf.12254...
).

However, numerous educational curricula in the health field simplify content, often excluding essential knowledge within ethics and morals. In addition, the current health scenario requires all health professionals to perform their duties from an ethical and moral perspective(88 Gibson E. Longitudinal learning plan for developing moral courage. Teach Learn Nurs. 2019;14(2):122-4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teln.2018.12.012
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teln.2018.12.0...
). By grounding their actions on ethical values, health workers seem more protected when making decisions, benefiting patients and themselves. From this perspective, an exercise that can be effective in nursing practice is questioning, being able to recognize improper situations, and problematizing the context experienced in the routine of health services(99 Barlem ELD, Lunardi VL, Lunardi GL, Tomaschewski-Barlem JG, Silveira RS, Dalmolin GL. Moral distress in nursing personnel. Rev Latino-Am Enfermagem. 2013;21:79-87. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0104-11692013000700011
https://doi.org/10.1590/S0104-1169201300...
).

A recent integrative literature review(1010 Pajakoski E, Rannikko S, Leino-Kilpi H, Numminen O. Moral courage in nursing: an integrative literature review. Nurs Health Sci. 2021;23(3):570-85. https://doi.org/10.1111/nhs.12805
https://doi.org/10.1111/nhs.12805...
) was the first attempt to synthesize knowledge concerning moral courage in nursing. Through a systematic search in databases, the review presented key concepts to understand moral courage, highlighting the definition and descriptions of moral courage, characteristics that a morally courageous nurse needs to present, and skills and actions. Another review(44 Bickhoff L, Sinclair PM, Levett-Jones T. Moral courage in undergraduate nursing students: a literature review. Collegian. 2017;24(1):71-83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2015.08.002
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2015.08...
) addressed the issue with nursing students, though it was limited to exploring the factors that facilitate or inhibit the willingness of undergraduate nursing students to demonstrate moral courage in situations of poor patient care. The conclusion is that most students do not have the moral courage to intervene or speak out in these situations.

The Literature(44 Bickhoff L, Sinclair PM, Levett-Jones T. Moral courage in undergraduate nursing students: a literature review. Collegian. 2017;24(1):71-83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2015.08.002
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2015.08...
,1010 Pajakoski E, Rannikko S, Leino-Kilpi H, Numminen O. Moral courage in nursing: an integrative literature review. Nurs Health Sci. 2021;23(3):570-85. https://doi.org/10.1111/nhs.12805
https://doi.org/10.1111/nhs.12805...
) agrees on the need for new studies to adopt different methodologies to more deeply explore the phenomenon to understand better concepts and aspects of moral courage that remain unclear in the nursing field. The academic environment should also be addressed to identify how nursing students demonstrate moral courage and verify how these findings influence students’ attitudes, values, and behaviors(44 Bickhoff L, Sinclair PM, Levett-Jones T. Moral courage in undergraduate nursing students: a literature review. Collegian. 2017;24(1):71-83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2015.08.002
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2015.08...
).

An extensive database search revealed no studies systematically analyzing scientific evidence on moral courage and related factors among nursing students. Hence, this study was developed considering that moral courage in the nursing field is an important moral virtue that can contribute to patient safety, teamwork, moral resilience, and alleviate moral distress(22 Rushton CH, Schoonover-Shoffner K, Kennedy MS. Executive summary: transforming moral distress into moral resilience in nursing. J Christ Nurs. 2017;34(2):82-86. https://doi.org/10.1097/cnj.0000000000000386
https://doi.org/10.1097/cnj.000000000000...
).

OBJECTIVE

To analyze scientific evidence on moral courage and related factors among undergraduate nursing students.

METHODS

This scoping review followed the method proposed by the Joanna Briggs Institute Reviewers. Scoping reviews are intended to identify the range of evidence available in the literature and help examine emerging evidence when there is no clarity, possibly leading to more specific questions. Five steps were followed: 1) identification of the research question; 2) identification of relevant studies; 3) selection of studies; 4) data analysis; 5) grouping, synthesis, and presentation of data(1111 Peters MDJ, Godfrey C, McInerney P, Baldini Soares C, Khalil H, Parker D. Chapter 11: scoping reviews. In: Aromataris E, Munn Z (Editors). Joanna Briggs Institute Reviewer's Manual, JBI, 2017. https://jbi-global-wiki.refined.site/space/MANUAL/4687342/Chapter+11%3A+Scoping+reviews
https://jbi-global-wiki.refined.site/spa...
). This study protocol was registered in the Open Science Framework (https://osf.io/tsf8v), and its preparation followed the PRISMA-ScR verification checklist for this type of review(1212 Tricco AC, Lillie E, Zarin W, O’Brien KK, Colquhoun H, Levac D, et al. PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR): checklist and explanation. Ann Intern Med. 2018;169(7):467-73. https://doi.org/10.7326/M18-0850
https://doi.org/10.7326/M18-0850...
).

The PCC strategy was used, where (P) represents “population”; (C) - “concept”; and (C) - “context”. In this case, (P) - nursing students; (C) - moral courage and related factors; and (C) - undergraduate nursing courses. The guiding question established was: what is the scientific evidence available on moral courage and its related factors among students attending nursing undergraduate programs?

The following inclusion criteria were established: original studies published and available in English, Portuguese, or Spanish, addressing moral courage among nursing students. No time timeframe was determined for selecting the studies. Exclusion criteria were: duplicate studies, editorials, experience reports, theoretical essays, reflection studies, books, and reviews.

Two independent researchers searched and selected the studies between November and December 2021. A third independent researcher resolved disagreements. The databases were: Web of Science (Clarivate), Medical Literature Analysis and Retrieval System Online via US National Library of Medicine (MEDLINE/Pubmed), Scopus (Elsevier); Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and Latin American and Caribbean Literature on Health Sciences Information (LILACS).

The search strategies included a combination of the Boolean operators “AND” and “OR” with the following terms: “moral courage”, “moral strength”, “moral integrity”, “nursing students”, and “nursing student”. Because there is no exact descriptor of moral courage registered in the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH), this term and related terms provided in the literature(1010 Pajakoski E, Rannikko S, Leino-Kilpi H, Numminen O. Moral courage in nursing: an integrative literature review. Nurs Health Sci. 2021;23(3):570-85. https://doi.org/10.1111/nhs.12805
https://doi.org/10.1111/nhs.12805...
) were used to obtain the desired results. The search strategies are described in Chart 1.

Chart 1
Database search strategies, 2021

The studies were exported to the reference manager software, Mendley®, immediately after identification to verify whether there were duplicate studies and work with the references found. The studies were selected according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria previously presented.

The studies’ level of evidence was assessed. Systematic reviews or meta-analyses of relevant clinical trials were classified as level I; evidence from randomized clinical trials was classified as level II; level III included non-randomized clinical trials; well-designed cohort and case-control studies were classified as level IV; systematic reviews of descriptive and qualitative research at level V; evidence from descriptive or qualitative studies at level VI; and expert opinions or expert committees not based on scientific research were classified at level VII(1313 Melnyk BM, Fineout-Overholt E. Evidence-based practice in nursing & healthcare: a guide to best practice. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2011.).

The studies were analyzed by reading and assessing their respective full texts. An instrument was designed to include study reference, year, country, periodical, level of evidence, objective, methodology, results, and conclusions. The results and conclusions were grouped and described according to each study’s thematic approach.

RESULTS

The literature search resulted in 2,812 results. After removing duplicate studies, reading abstracts and titles, and full texts and applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, nine studies were included(1414 Bickhoff L, Levett-Jones T, Sinclair PM. Rocking the boat - nursing students’ stories of moral courage: a qualitative descriptive study. Nurse Educ Today. 2016; 42:35-40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2016.03.030
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2016.03.0...

15 Echeverria I, Peraire M, Haro G, Mora R, Camacho I, Almodóvar I, et al. “Healthcare Kamikazes” during the COVID-19 pandemic: purpose in life and moral courage as mediators of psychopathology. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(14). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18147235
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18147235...

16 Escolar-Chua RL. Moral sensitivity, moral distress, and moral courage among baccalaureate Filipino nursing students. Nurs Ethics. 2018;25(4):458-69. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733016654317
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733016654317...

17 Gibson E, Duke G, Alfred D. Exploring the relationships among moral distress, moral courage, and moral resilience in undergraduate nursing students. J Nurs Educ. 2020;59(7):392-5. https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20200617-07
https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-2020061...

18 Koskinen S, Pajakoski E, Fuster P, Ingadottir B, Löyttyniemi E, Numminen O, et al. Analysis of graduating nursing students’ moral courage in six european countries. Nurs Ethics. 2021;28(4):481-97. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733020956374
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733020956374...

19 Mollaei F, Abbaszadeh A, Loghmani L, Khabazkhob M, Borhani F. Moral courage of nursing students: a descriptive study in Iran 2017. Astra Salvensis [Internet]. 2018 [cited 2022 Apr 30];6:39-44. Available from: https://sciexplore.ir/Documents/Details/319-785-968-485
https://sciexplore.ir/Documents/Details/...

20 Black S, Curzio J, Terry L. Failing a student nurse: a new horizon of moral courage. Nurs Ethics. 2014;21(2):224-38. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733013495224
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733013495224...

21 DeSimone BB. Curriculum redesign to build the moral courage values of accelerated bachelor’s degree nursing students. SAGE Open Nurs. 2019;5,1-10. https://doi.org/10.1177/2377960819827086
https://doi.org/10.1177/2377960819827086...
-2222 Nash W, Mixer SJ, McArthur PM, Mendola A. The moral courage of nursing students who complete advance directives with homeless persons. Nurs Ethics. 2016;23(7):743-53. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733015583926
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733015583926...
) in this review. Figure 1 shows the selection process.

Figure 1
PRISMA-ScR flowchart for the selection of studies, 2021

Studies’ Characteristics

Regarding the year of publication, one study (11%) was published in 2014(2020 Black S, Curzio J, Terry L. Failing a student nurse: a new horizon of moral courage. Nurs Ethics. 2014;21(2):224-38. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733013495224
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733013495224...
), two (22%) in 2016(1414 Bickhoff L, Levett-Jones T, Sinclair PM. Rocking the boat - nursing students’ stories of moral courage: a qualitative descriptive study. Nurse Educ Today. 2016; 42:35-40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2016.03.030
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2016.03.0...
,2222 Nash W, Mixer SJ, McArthur PM, Mendola A. The moral courage of nursing students who complete advance directives with homeless persons. Nurs Ethics. 2016;23(7):743-53. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733015583926
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733015583926...
), two (22%) in 2018(1616 Escolar-Chua RL. Moral sensitivity, moral distress, and moral courage among baccalaureate Filipino nursing students. Nurs Ethics. 2018;25(4):458-69. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733016654317
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733016654317...
,1010 Pajakoski E, Rannikko S, Leino-Kilpi H, Numminen O. Moral courage in nursing: an integrative literature review. Nurs Health Sci. 2021;23(3):570-85. https://doi.org/10.1111/nhs.12805
https://doi.org/10.1111/nhs.12805...
), one (11%) in 2019(2121 DeSimone BB. Curriculum redesign to build the moral courage values of accelerated bachelor’s degree nursing students. SAGE Open Nurs. 2019;5,1-10. https://doi.org/10.1177/2377960819827086
https://doi.org/10.1177/2377960819827086...
), one (11%) in 2020(1717 Gibson E, Duke G, Alfred D. Exploring the relationships among moral distress, moral courage, and moral resilience in undergraduate nursing students. J Nurs Educ. 2020;59(7):392-5. https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20200617-07
https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-2020061...
), and two (22%) in 2021(1515 Echeverria I, Peraire M, Haro G, Mora R, Camacho I, Almodóvar I, et al. “Healthcare Kamikazes” during the COVID-19 pandemic: purpose in life and moral courage as mediators of psychopathology. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(14). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18147235
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18147235...
,1818 Koskinen S, Pajakoski E, Fuster P, Ingadottir B, Löyttyniemi E, Numminen O, et al. Analysis of graduating nursing students’ moral courage in six european countries. Nurs Ethics. 2021;28(4):481-97. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733020956374
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733020956374...
). The origin and location of the studies were the United States of America(1717 Gibson E, Duke G, Alfred D. Exploring the relationships among moral distress, moral courage, and moral resilience in undergraduate nursing students. J Nurs Educ. 2020;59(7):392-5. https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20200617-07
https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-2020061...
,2121 DeSimone BB. Curriculum redesign to build the moral courage values of accelerated bachelor’s degree nursing students. SAGE Open Nurs. 2019;5,1-10. https://doi.org/10.1177/2377960819827086
https://doi.org/10.1177/2377960819827086...
-2222 Nash W, Mixer SJ, McArthur PM, Mendola A. The moral courage of nursing students who complete advance directives with homeless persons. Nurs Ethics. 2016;23(7):743-53. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733015583926
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733015583926...
), Australia(1414 Bickhoff L, Levett-Jones T, Sinclair PM. Rocking the boat - nursing students’ stories of moral courage: a qualitative descriptive study. Nurse Educ Today. 2016; 42:35-40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2016.03.030
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2016.03.0...
), Iran(1919 Mollaei F, Abbaszadeh A, Loghmani L, Khabazkhob M, Borhani F. Moral courage of nursing students: a descriptive study in Iran 2017. Astra Salvensis [Internet]. 2018 [cited 2022 Apr 30];6:39-44. Available from: https://sciexplore.ir/Documents/Details/319-785-968-485
https://sciexplore.ir/Documents/Details/...
), the United Kingdom(2020 Black S, Curzio J, Terry L. Failing a student nurse: a new horizon of moral courage. Nurs Ethics. 2014;21(2):224-38. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733013495224
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733013495224...
), and the Philippines(1616 Escolar-Chua RL. Moral sensitivity, moral distress, and moral courage among baccalaureate Filipino nursing students. Nurs Ethics. 2018;25(4):458-69. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733016654317
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733016654317...
). Additionally, two multicenter studies were identified, one carried out in Spain and Mexico(1515 Echeverria I, Peraire M, Haro G, Mora R, Camacho I, Almodóvar I, et al. “Healthcare Kamikazes” during the COVID-19 pandemic: purpose in life and moral courage as mediators of psychopathology. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(14). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18147235
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18147235...
) and another in Spain, Finland, Iceland, Germany, Lithuania, and Ireland(1818 Koskinen S, Pajakoski E, Fuster P, Ingadottir B, Löyttyniemi E, Numminen O, et al. Analysis of graduating nursing students’ moral courage in six european countries. Nurs Ethics. 2021;28(4):481-97. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733020956374
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733020956374...
).

Regarding the methodological design, six studies presented a cross-sectional quantitative approach(1515 Echeverria I, Peraire M, Haro G, Mora R, Camacho I, Almodóvar I, et al. “Healthcare Kamikazes” during the COVID-19 pandemic: purpose in life and moral courage as mediators of psychopathology. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(14). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18147235
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18147235...

16 Escolar-Chua RL. Moral sensitivity, moral distress, and moral courage among baccalaureate Filipino nursing students. Nurs Ethics. 2018;25(4):458-69. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733016654317
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733016654317...

17 Gibson E, Duke G, Alfred D. Exploring the relationships among moral distress, moral courage, and moral resilience in undergraduate nursing students. J Nurs Educ. 2020;59(7):392-5. https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20200617-07
https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-2020061...

18 Koskinen S, Pajakoski E, Fuster P, Ingadottir B, Löyttyniemi E, Numminen O, et al. Analysis of graduating nursing students’ moral courage in six european countries. Nurs Ethics. 2021;28(4):481-97. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733020956374
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733020956374...
-1919 Mollaei F, Abbaszadeh A, Loghmani L, Khabazkhob M, Borhani F. Moral courage of nursing students: a descriptive study in Iran 2017. Astra Salvensis [Internet]. 2018 [cited 2022 Apr 30];6:39-44. Available from: https://sciexplore.ir/Documents/Details/319-785-968-485
https://sciexplore.ir/Documents/Details/...
,2121 DeSimone BB. Curriculum redesign to build the moral courage values of accelerated bachelor’s degree nursing students. SAGE Open Nurs. 2019;5,1-10. https://doi.org/10.1177/2377960819827086
https://doi.org/10.1177/2377960819827086...
), and three presented a descriptive qualitative approach(1414 Bickhoff L, Levett-Jones T, Sinclair PM. Rocking the boat - nursing students’ stories of moral courage: a qualitative descriptive study. Nurse Educ Today. 2016; 42:35-40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2016.03.030
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2016.03.0...
,2020 Black S, Curzio J, Terry L. Failing a student nurse: a new horizon of moral courage. Nurs Ethics. 2014;21(2):224-38. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733013495224
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733013495224...
,2222 Nash W, Mixer SJ, McArthur PM, Mendola A. The moral courage of nursing students who complete advance directives with homeless persons. Nurs Ethics. 2016;23(7):743-53. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733015583926
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733015583926...
). As for the level of evidence, all studies (100%) were classified with a level of evidence VI(1414 Bickhoff L, Levett-Jones T, Sinclair PM. Rocking the boat - nursing students’ stories of moral courage: a qualitative descriptive study. Nurse Educ Today. 2016; 42:35-40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2016.03.030
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2016.03.0...

15 Echeverria I, Peraire M, Haro G, Mora R, Camacho I, Almodóvar I, et al. “Healthcare Kamikazes” during the COVID-19 pandemic: purpose in life and moral courage as mediators of psychopathology. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(14). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18147235
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18147235...

16 Escolar-Chua RL. Moral sensitivity, moral distress, and moral courage among baccalaureate Filipino nursing students. Nurs Ethics. 2018;25(4):458-69. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733016654317
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733016654317...

17 Gibson E, Duke G, Alfred D. Exploring the relationships among moral distress, moral courage, and moral resilience in undergraduate nursing students. J Nurs Educ. 2020;59(7):392-5. https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20200617-07
https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-2020061...

18 Koskinen S, Pajakoski E, Fuster P, Ingadottir B, Löyttyniemi E, Numminen O, et al. Analysis of graduating nursing students’ moral courage in six european countries. Nurs Ethics. 2021;28(4):481-97. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733020956374
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733020956374...

19 Mollaei F, Abbaszadeh A, Loghmani L, Khabazkhob M, Borhani F. Moral courage of nursing students: a descriptive study in Iran 2017. Astra Salvensis [Internet]. 2018 [cited 2022 Apr 30];6:39-44. Available from: https://sciexplore.ir/Documents/Details/319-785-968-485
https://sciexplore.ir/Documents/Details/...

20 Black S, Curzio J, Terry L. Failing a student nurse: a new horizon of moral courage. Nurs Ethics. 2014;21(2):224-38. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733013495224
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733013495224...

21 DeSimone BB. Curriculum redesign to build the moral courage values of accelerated bachelor’s degree nursing students. SAGE Open Nurs. 2019;5,1-10. https://doi.org/10.1177/2377960819827086
https://doi.org/10.1177/2377960819827086...
-2222 Nash W, Mixer SJ, McArthur PM, Mendola A. The moral courage of nursing students who complete advance directives with homeless persons. Nurs Ethics. 2016;23(7):743-53. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733015583926
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733015583926...
). Regarding the publication language, the nine studies (100%) were written in English(1414 Bickhoff L, Levett-Jones T, Sinclair PM. Rocking the boat - nursing students’ stories of moral courage: a qualitative descriptive study. Nurse Educ Today. 2016; 42:35-40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2016.03.030
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2016.03.0...

15 Echeverria I, Peraire M, Haro G, Mora R, Camacho I, Almodóvar I, et al. “Healthcare Kamikazes” during the COVID-19 pandemic: purpose in life and moral courage as mediators of psychopathology. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(14). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18147235
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18147235...

16 Escolar-Chua RL. Moral sensitivity, moral distress, and moral courage among baccalaureate Filipino nursing students. Nurs Ethics. 2018;25(4):458-69. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733016654317
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733016654317...

17 Gibson E, Duke G, Alfred D. Exploring the relationships among moral distress, moral courage, and moral resilience in undergraduate nursing students. J Nurs Educ. 2020;59(7):392-5. https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20200617-07
https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-2020061...

18 Koskinen S, Pajakoski E, Fuster P, Ingadottir B, Löyttyniemi E, Numminen O, et al. Analysis of graduating nursing students’ moral courage in six european countries. Nurs Ethics. 2021;28(4):481-97. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733020956374
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733020956374...

19 Mollaei F, Abbaszadeh A, Loghmani L, Khabazkhob M, Borhani F. Moral courage of nursing students: a descriptive study in Iran 2017. Astra Salvensis [Internet]. 2018 [cited 2022 Apr 30];6:39-44. Available from: https://sciexplore.ir/Documents/Details/319-785-968-485
https://sciexplore.ir/Documents/Details/...

20 Black S, Curzio J, Terry L. Failing a student nurse: a new horizon of moral courage. Nurs Ethics. 2014;21(2):224-38. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733013495224
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733013495224...

21 DeSimone BB. Curriculum redesign to build the moral courage values of accelerated bachelor’s degree nursing students. SAGE Open Nurs. 2019;5,1-10. https://doi.org/10.1177/2377960819827086
https://doi.org/10.1177/2377960819827086...
-2222 Nash W, Mixer SJ, McArthur PM, Mendola A. The moral courage of nursing students who complete advance directives with homeless persons. Nurs Ethics. 2016;23(7):743-53. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733015583926
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733015583926...
). The synopsis of the studies containing an assigned code (ID), country of origin, journal, methodological design, participants, and evidence (EL) is shown in Chart 2.

Chart 2
Synopsis of studies addressing moral courage among undergraduate nursing students, 2021

Three main thematic approaches are found in the studies addressing moral courage in nursing students: Moral courage from the perspective of nursing students; Moral courage and related factors; and The teaching of moral courage in the training of nursing students. Table 1 presents the thematic approaches and the respective studies in which each approach was found.

Table 1
The main thematic approaches identified (n=9), Brazil, 2021

Moral courage from the perspective of nursing students

The students(1414 Bickhoff L, Levett-Jones T, Sinclair PM. Rocking the boat - nursing students’ stories of moral courage: a qualitative descriptive study. Nurse Educ Today. 2016; 42:35-40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2016.03.030
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2016.03.0...
) understood moral courage to involve advocating for what they believed right when challenging an inadequate practice, regardless of difficulties or potential adverse consequences. However, participants added that moral courage comes from an instinctive reaction, such as intuitively knowing the right action. The students’ perception also emphasized a strong patient advocate identity. The students also considered the risk involved in demonstrating moral courage, as they could suffer negative consequences from their actions, characterized by ostracism and lateral violence. In addition, nurse supervisors and clinical facilitators should be highlighted as key individuals, as they may significantly impact the students’ decisions when challenging inappropriate practices. Supervisors and facilitators can provide support by reassuring and validating their actions, being physically present in the institutions, and offering practical advice on communicating concerns and solving problems(1414 Bickhoff L, Levett-Jones T, Sinclair PM. Rocking the boat - nursing students’ stories of moral courage: a qualitative descriptive study. Nurse Educ Today. 2016; 42:35-40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2016.03.030
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2016.03.0...
).

Moral courage and related factors

Mexican professionals(1515 Echeverria I, Peraire M, Haro G, Mora R, Camacho I, Almodóvar I, et al. “Healthcare Kamikazes” during the COVID-19 pandemic: purpose in life and moral courage as mediators of psychopathology. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(14). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18147235
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18147235...
) showed greater moral courage than Spanish professionals and students, evidencing cultural differences between countries. In addition, moral courage predicted anxiety disorder, acute stress disorder, and the presence of a mental disorder, considering that an individual may be susceptible to moral distress when s/he is unable to act in accordance with his/her moral values. In contrast, the purpose of life was considered to have a protective role in the emergence of psychopathologies. These results need to be further explored.

The frequency of moral distress was negatively related to moral courage, while the intensity of moral distress was positively correlated with moral courage. In addition, moral sensitivity (the ability to identify moral issues) was also positively related to moral courage in its different dimensions presented in the literature(1616 Escolar-Chua RL. Moral sensitivity, moral distress, and moral courage among baccalaureate Filipino nursing students. Nurs Ethics. 2018;25(4):458-69. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733016654317
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733016654317...
).

Additionally, evidence(1717 Gibson E, Duke G, Alfred D. Exploring the relationships among moral distress, moral courage, and moral resilience in undergraduate nursing students. J Nurs Educ. 2020;59(7):392-5. https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20200617-07
https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-2020061...
) shows that students reported mild levels of moral distress. Moral resilience was significantly correlated with moral courage, age, and students with a previous degree. Note(1818 Koskinen S, Pajakoski E, Fuster P, Ingadottir B, Löyttyniemi E, Numminen O, et al. Analysis of graduating nursing students’ moral courage in six european countries. Nurs Ethics. 2021;28(4):481-97. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733020956374
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733020956374...
) that the mean obtained by the nursing students in moral courage self-assessment was 77.8 (scale from 0 to 100), with statistically significant differences between the six countries analyzed (i.e., Spain, Finland, Iceland, Germany, Lithuania, and Ireland).

Additionally(1818 Koskinen S, Pajakoski E, Fuster P, Ingadottir B, Löyttyniemi E, Numminen O, et al. Analysis of graduating nursing students’ moral courage in six european countries. Nurs Ethics. 2021;28(4):481-97. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733020956374
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733020956374...
), the highest level of moral courage was associated with professional competence. An assessment of moral courage was performed among managers, patients, and students. Managers considered that nursing students presented a lower moral courage level than the students’ self-assessments. The students’ self-assessments were associated with being older, more experienced in the health field, having a previous degree in the health field, having a career plan in the nursing field, evaluating school performance as excellent, or being dissatisfied with the nursing profession. Moral courage was also associated with greater confidence in one’s ethical principles, considering nursing a profession appreciated in their country, and highly rated professional competence.

Further evidence(1919 Mollaei F, Abbaszadeh A, Loghmani L, Khabazkhob M, Borhani F. Moral courage of nursing students: a descriptive study in Iran 2017. Astra Salvensis [Internet]. 2018 [cited 2022 Apr 30];6:39-44. Available from: https://sciexplore.ir/Documents/Details/319-785-968-485
https://sciexplore.ir/Documents/Details/...
) showed a mean score of moral courage of 52.75 (between 15-75) among nursing students. The highest and lowest average dimensions were related to the moral factor and tolerance for threat. Educational level and having chosen nursing by interest were also positively associated with moral courage.

The teaching of moral courage in the training of nursing students

One study carried out with mentor/supervisor nurses(2020 Black S, Curzio J, Terry L. Failing a student nurse: a new horizon of moral courage. Nurs Ethics. 2014;21(2):224-38. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733013495224
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733013495224...
) reported the experiences with nursing students failing the course, revealing a new perspective; moral courage from the mentoring perspective; addressing an understanding of failure; and what it means for mentors, how and why they fail students, and the culture of mentoring. Three key themes emerged: personal toll, sense of responsibility, and professional responsibility and being strong, elements associated with moral courage. The mentors who failed students felt that they had a sense of moral duty that extended to students and patients when deciding whether a student was apt to practice nursing; they felt morally obliged to fail a student inapt for the duty of providing care to people.

In an accelerated baccalaureate of Science in Nursing program (ABSN), the faculty observed significant growth in four of the five values related to moral courage among the respondents four weeks after the beginning and end of the program. Honesty, responsibility, justice, and compassion were all positively significant. The answers provided by 27 of the 29 ABSN students to the questionnaire at the end of the program ranged from respect and responsibility for 73%, compassion and honesty for 78%, and fairness for 82%. Teaching-learning activities to build moral courage values successfully promoted the program’s objectives(2121 DeSimone BB. Curriculum redesign to build the moral courage values of accelerated bachelor’s degree nursing students. SAGE Open Nurs. 2019;5,1-10. https://doi.org/10.1177/2377960819827086
https://doi.org/10.1177/2377960819827086...
).

Nursing students needed moral courage to help homeless individuals regarding advance directives. For example, during a workshop intended to teach advance directives for the homeless, the students needed to show a higher level of moral courage before the workshop than at the time of the workshop(2222 Nash W, Mixer SJ, McArthur PM, Mendola A. The moral courage of nursing students who complete advance directives with homeless persons. Nurs Ethics. 2016;23(7):743-53. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733015583926
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733015583926...
).

DISCUSSION

Of the nine studies (100%) identified in this review, most (66.7%) were published in the last five years. It shows that although the focus of research on moral courage is recent, there is a growing trend. Such a trend may be related to recent moral distress and ethical conflicts experienced in the academic context and during the covid-19 pandemic, besides the discussions leading up to “Nursing Now”. Most of these studies (88.9%) were conducted in developed countries, showing a predominance within the scope of academic research, which may be explained by more frequent sources of public funding(2323 Belo JMB. A pesquisa acadêmica na América Latina e nos países do norte geoeconômico. Rev Ibero-Am Hum, Ciên Educ. 2021;7(8):83-96. https://doi.org/10.51891/rease.v7i8.1869
https://doi.org/10.51891/rease.v7i8.1869...
).

The quantitative approach and cross-sectional design prevailed (66.7%), and all the studies (100%) were classified with evidence level VI(13), which indicates a weak level of strength(2424 Soares BGO. Prática de enfermagem baseada em evidências. In: Bork, AMT, Minatel, VE. Enfermagem baseada em evidências. Rio Janeiro: Guanabara Koogan. 2005;3-13.). Future studies are suggested to take advantage of more robust designs to provide evidence with a strong level of strength.

The studies presented three main approaches. One (11.1%) of the studies(1414 Bickhoff L, Levett-Jones T, Sinclair PM. Rocking the boat - nursing students’ stories of moral courage: a qualitative descriptive study. Nurse Educ Today. 2016; 42:35-40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2016.03.030
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2016.03.0...
) focused on the students’ perception concerning moral courage. The students considered moral courage to be an act of advocating for what is considered correct, emphasizing their role as patient advocates. A previous study(44 Bickhoff L, Sinclair PM, Levett-Jones T. Moral courage in undergraduate nursing students: a literature review. Collegian. 2017;24(1):71-83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2015.08.002
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2015.08...
) corroborates such a finding, noting it is because nursing students are encouraged from the beginning of their studies to assume the patient advocate role. However, being a patient advocate requires courage, considering the risk of failure.

One study in this review(1414 Bickhoff L, Levett-Jones T, Sinclair PM. Rocking the boat - nursing students’ stories of moral courage: a qualitative descriptive study. Nurse Educ Today. 2016; 42:35-40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2016.03.030
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2016.03.0...
) shows that the students recognized the risk of adverse consequences when acting with moral courage. The daily routine of health services and intricate elements inherent to the organizational structure of these facilities and power relations challenge and discourage the development of moral and ethical actions according to the workers’ knowledge and moral standards, leading to moral distress(2525 Tomaschewski-Barlem JG, Lunardi VL, Barlem ELD, Silveira RS, Ramos AM, Piexak DR. Patient advocacy in nursing: barriers, facilitators and potential implications. Texto Contexto Enferm. 2017;26(3):e0100014. https://doi.org/10.1590/0104-0707201700010001
https://doi.org/10.1590/0104-07072017000...
).

In this sense, the results of one of the studies included in the review indicate key elements and individuals that facilitate the process of acting with moral courage, i.e., supervisor and facilitator nurses(1414 Bickhoff L, Levett-Jones T, Sinclair PM. Rocking the boat - nursing students’ stories of moral courage: a qualitative descriptive study. Nurse Educ Today. 2016; 42:35-40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2016.03.030
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2016.03.0...
). Some elements facilitate the intervention process in nursing practice with a view to patient ethics and advocacy, and work environments are essential for this. Some facilitators concern with strengthened relationships established among health workers, the construction of a conducive working climate that facilitates the exercise of autonomy, the support provided by managers, an open and legitimate opportunity for dialogues, mastering clinical knowledge, continuous education, and the development of moral competences(2525 Tomaschewski-Barlem JG, Lunardi VL, Barlem ELD, Silveira RS, Ramos AM, Piexak DR. Patient advocacy in nursing: barriers, facilitators and potential implications. Texto Contexto Enferm. 2017;26(3):e0100014. https://doi.org/10.1590/0104-0707201700010001
https://doi.org/10.1590/0104-07072017000...
).

Most studies (55.6%)(1515 Echeverria I, Peraire M, Haro G, Mora R, Camacho I, Almodóvar I, et al. “Healthcare Kamikazes” during the COVID-19 pandemic: purpose in life and moral courage as mediators of psychopathology. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(14). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18147235
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18147235...

16 Escolar-Chua RL. Moral sensitivity, moral distress, and moral courage among baccalaureate Filipino nursing students. Nurs Ethics. 2018;25(4):458-69. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733016654317
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733016654317...

17 Gibson E, Duke G, Alfred D. Exploring the relationships among moral distress, moral courage, and moral resilience in undergraduate nursing students. J Nurs Educ. 2020;59(7):392-5. https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20200617-07
https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-2020061...

18 Koskinen S, Pajakoski E, Fuster P, Ingadottir B, Löyttyniemi E, Numminen O, et al. Analysis of graduating nursing students’ moral courage in six european countries. Nurs Ethics. 2021;28(4):481-97. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733020956374
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733020956374...
-1919 Mollaei F, Abbaszadeh A, Loghmani L, Khabazkhob M, Borhani F. Moral courage of nursing students: a descriptive study in Iran 2017. Astra Salvensis [Internet]. 2018 [cited 2022 Apr 30];6:39-44. Available from: https://sciexplore.ir/Documents/Details/319-785-968-485
https://sciexplore.ir/Documents/Details/...
) focused on the prevalence and factors associated with moral courage, that is, on identifying the level of moral courage and its relationship with other objects of study in the sample composed of nursing students. Two studies (22.2%)(1818 Koskinen S, Pajakoski E, Fuster P, Ingadottir B, Löyttyniemi E, Numminen O, et al. Analysis of graduating nursing students’ moral courage in six european countries. Nurs Ethics. 2021;28(4):481-97. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733020956374
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733020956374...
-1919 Mollaei F, Abbaszadeh A, Loghmani L, Khabazkhob M, Borhani F. Moral courage of nursing students: a descriptive study in Iran 2017. Astra Salvensis [Internet]. 2018 [cited 2022 Apr 30];6:39-44. Available from: https://sciexplore.ir/Documents/Details/319-785-968-485
https://sciexplore.ir/Documents/Details/...
) reported the students’ level of self-assessment of moral courage, which was 77.8 (scale from 0 to 100) among students from six European countries(1818 Koskinen S, Pajakoski E, Fuster P, Ingadottir B, Löyttyniemi E, Numminen O, et al. Analysis of graduating nursing students’ moral courage in six european countries. Nurs Ethics. 2021;28(4):481-97. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733020956374
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733020956374...
), and 52.75 among Iranian nursing students(1919 Mollaei F, Abbaszadeh A, Loghmani L, Khabazkhob M, Borhani F. Moral courage of nursing students: a descriptive study in Iran 2017. Astra Salvensis [Internet]. 2018 [cited 2022 Apr 30];6:39-44. Available from: https://sciexplore.ir/Documents/Details/319-785-968-485
https://sciexplore.ir/Documents/Details/...
).

Recently, an instrument was developed and validated to self-assess moral courage in nursing. It presents four dimensions: compassion and true presence, moral responsibility, moral integrity, and commitment to quality care. Nurses obtained high scores in this instrument measuring moral courage(2626 Numminen O, Katajisto J, Leino-Kilpi H. Development and validation of Nurses’ Moral Courage Scale. Nurs Ethics. 2019;26(7-8):2438-55. https://doi.org/10.1177%2F0969733018791325
https://doi.org/10.1177%2F09697330187913...
), which aligns with the results presented in this review. However, the high scores nursing students self-assigned regarding moral courage may result from difficulties in assessing a concept that is very complex and abstract(2727 Hamric AB, Blackhall LJ. Nurse-physician perspectives on the care of dying patients in intensive care units: collaboration, moral distress, and ethical climate. Crit Care Med. 2007;35(2):422-9. https://doi.org/10.1097/01.CCM.0000254722.50608.2D
https://doi.org/10.1097/01.CCM.000025472...
).

The studies included in this review present statistical differences in moral courage among countries(1515 Echeverria I, Peraire M, Haro G, Mora R, Camacho I, Almodóvar I, et al. “Healthcare Kamikazes” during the COVID-19 pandemic: purpose in life and moral courage as mediators of psychopathology. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(14). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18147235
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18147235...
,1818 Koskinen S, Pajakoski E, Fuster P, Ingadottir B, Löyttyniemi E, Numminen O, et al. Analysis of graduating nursing students’ moral courage in six european countries. Nurs Ethics. 2021;28(4):481-97. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733020956374
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733020956374...
) and the role of moral courage in predicting anxiety disorders, acute stress, and mental disorders(1515 Echeverria I, Peraire M, Haro G, Mora R, Camacho I, Almodóvar I, et al. “Healthcare Kamikazes” during the COVID-19 pandemic: purpose in life and moral courage as mediators of psychopathology. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(14). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18147235
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18147235...
). Differences between countries can be explained by cultural differences and how ethics are taught(1818 Koskinen S, Pajakoski E, Fuster P, Ingadottir B, Löyttyniemi E, Numminen O, et al. Analysis of graduating nursing students’ moral courage in six european countries. Nurs Ethics. 2021;28(4):481-97. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733020956374
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733020956374...
). No previous study has explored the predictive relationship between moral courage and anxiety and stress(1515 Echeverria I, Peraire M, Haro G, Mora R, Camacho I, Almodóvar I, et al. “Healthcare Kamikazes” during the COVID-19 pandemic: purpose in life and moral courage as mediators of psychopathology. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(14). https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18147235
https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18147235...
). This relationship may be explained by moral distress, as professionals experience dissonance between expectations and what they can actually do in practice; those with greater moral courage but who are impeded from doing the right thing are more likely to develop a psychopathology(2828 Santos RP, Garros D, Carnevale F. Difficult decisions in pediatric practice and moral distress in the intensive care unit. Rev Bras Ter Intensive. 2018;30:226-32. https://doi.org/10.5935/0103-507X.20180039
https://doi.org/10.5935/0103-507X.201800...
).

The analysis also showed a negative relationship between moral courage and moral distress and a positive relationship with moral sensitivity(1616 Escolar-Chua RL. Moral sensitivity, moral distress, and moral courage among baccalaureate Filipino nursing students. Nurs Ethics. 2018;25(4):458-69. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733016654317
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733016654317...
). In addition, moral courage was positively associated with moral resilience(1717 Gibson E, Duke G, Alfred D. Exploring the relationships among moral distress, moral courage, and moral resilience in undergraduate nursing students. J Nurs Educ. 2020;59(7):392-5. https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-20200617-07
https://doi.org/10.3928/01484834-2020061...
), level of professional competence, being older, being more experienced, having a degree in the health field, and characteristics related to the program and profession(1818 Koskinen S, Pajakoski E, Fuster P, Ingadottir B, Löyttyniemi E, Numminen O, et al. Analysis of graduating nursing students’ moral courage in six european countries. Nurs Ethics. 2021;28(4):481-97. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733020956374
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733020956374...
), in addition to educational level and having chosen the nursing program with interest(1919 Mollaei F, Abbaszadeh A, Loghmani L, Khabazkhob M, Borhani F. Moral courage of nursing students: a descriptive study in Iran 2017. Astra Salvensis [Internet]. 2018 [cited 2022 Apr 30];6:39-44. Available from: https://sciexplore.ir/Documents/Details/319-785-968-485
https://sciexplore.ir/Documents/Details/...
).

The literature has already shown a negative and positive association between moral courage and moral distress, and moral resilience, respectively(22 Rushton CH, Schoonover-Shoffner K, Kennedy MS. Executive summary: transforming moral distress into moral resilience in nursing. J Christ Nurs. 2017;34(2):82-86. https://doi.org/10.1097/cnj.0000000000000386
https://doi.org/10.1097/cnj.000000000000...
). Likewise, the relationship between moral courage, moral sensitivity, and professional competence has already been established in previous studies, in addition to the relationship between moral courage and sociodemographic characteristics and those related to the program and profession(2929 Hyeyoung YUN, Hyoeun J, Sinwoo H. The influence of moral distress and moral sensitivity on moral courage in nursing students. Korean J Med Ethics. 2018;21(4):64-80. https://doi.org/10.35301/ksme.2018.21.4.64
https://doi.org/10.35301/ksme.2018.21.4....

30 Zafarnia N, Abbaszadeh A, Borhani F, Ebadi A, Nakhaee N. Moral competency: meta-competence of nursing care. Electron Physici. 2017;9(6):4553. https://doi.org/10.19082/4553
https://doi.org/10.19082/4553...
-3131 Khodaveisi M, Oshvandi K, Bashirian S, Khazaei S, Gillespie M, Masoumi SZ, et al. Moral courage, moral sensitivity and safe nursing care in nurses caring of patients with COVID-19. Nurs Open. 2021;8(6):3538-46. https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.903
https://doi.org/10.1002/nop2.903...
). However, a study selected in this review(1818 Koskinen S, Pajakoski E, Fuster P, Ingadottir B, Löyttyniemi E, Numminen O, et al. Analysis of graduating nursing students’ moral courage in six european countries. Nurs Ethics. 2021;28(4):481-97. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733020956374
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733020956374...
) highlights the inconsistency of this result regarding satisfaction with the program, considering that moral courage was associated with assessing one’s school performance as excellent and being dissatisfied with the nursing profession. Thus, future studies should explore these factors more in-depth.

Regarding teaching moral courage in the context of training nursing students, three studies(2020 Black S, Curzio J, Terry L. Failing a student nurse: a new horizon of moral courage. Nurs Ethics. 2014;21(2):224-38. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733013495224
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733013495224...

21 DeSimone BB. Curriculum redesign to build the moral courage values of accelerated bachelor’s degree nursing students. SAGE Open Nurs. 2019;5,1-10. https://doi.org/10.1177/2377960819827086
https://doi.org/10.1177/2377960819827086...
-2222 Nash W, Mixer SJ, McArthur PM, Mendola A. The moral courage of nursing students who complete advance directives with homeless persons. Nurs Ethics. 2016;23(7):743-53. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733015583926
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733015583926...
) (33.3%) focused on this topic. The role of mentoring/supervising students to act with moral courage was emphasized(2020 Black S, Curzio J, Terry L. Failing a student nurse: a new horizon of moral courage. Nurs Ethics. 2014;21(2):224-38. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733013495224
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733013495224...
), besides the need for curricula to be based on moral courage values(2121 DeSimone BB. Curriculum redesign to build the moral courage values of accelerated bachelor’s degree nursing students. SAGE Open Nurs. 2019;5,1-10. https://doi.org/10.1177/2377960819827086
https://doi.org/10.1177/2377960819827086...
) and the importance of working on specific themes within moral courage(2222 Nash W, Mixer SJ, McArthur PM, Mendola A. The moral courage of nursing students who complete advance directives with homeless persons. Nurs Ethics. 2016;23(7):743-53. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733015583926
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733015583926...
).

Courage is essential for professionals in the health field. The multidisciplinary team includes nursing students who face situations that demand intentional attitudes of courage. Students show moral courage by choosing to overcome fears and fulfilling their duty in care delivery, advocating for patients, and standing up for themselves. In this context, educators should promote students’ courage and be supportive when they need the most, that is, in situations that demand courage(77 Gibson E. Student courage: An essential for today’s health education. Nurs Forum. 2018;53(3):369-75. https://doi.org/10.1111/nuf.12254
https://doi.org/10.1111/nuf.12254...
).

When students establish a relationship of mutual respect with their mentors, they are more confident to ask questions and act upon inappropriate practices. The opposite is also true. If the relationship is not based on mutual respect, students are more likely to remain silent and not challenge inappropriate practices. Similarly, when a student implements an intervention and receives positive feedback, s/he is more likely to repeat positive actions. In contrast, if a student is belittled, intimidated, or ignored, s/he may become omitted in the presence of malpractices(44 Bickhoff L, Sinclair PM, Levett-Jones T. Moral courage in undergraduate nursing students: a literature review. Collegian. 2017;24(1):71-83. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2015.08.002
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.colegn.2015.08...
).

From this perspective, moral courage should be addressed before nurses start practicing the profession. One way to address moral courage is by using simulations involving moral dilemmas and other strategies to promote moral awareness and moral property(88 Gibson E. Longitudinal learning plan for developing moral courage. Teach Learn Nurs. 2019;14(2):122-4. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teln.2018.12.012
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.teln.2018.12.0...
). In addition, the ability to make ethical decisions and act upon them must be encouraged(3232 Ion R, DeSouza R, Kerin T. Teaching ethics: intersectionality, care failure and moral courage. Nurs Educ Today. 2018;62:98-100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2017.12.023
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2017.12.0...
). Thus, nursing undergraduate programs should adopt pedagogical methodologies that value experiential learning, valuing previous literature that reinforces the concept of moral courage and its functioning in the academic milieu and clinical practice(77 Gibson E. Student courage: An essential for today’s health education. Nurs Forum. 2018;53(3):369-75. https://doi.org/10.1111/nuf.12254
https://doi.org/10.1111/nuf.12254...
).

Nursing students are the future of the profession, and thus, appreciating and discussing ethical problems during the training of these students provide them with tools to establish alternatives and implement necessary changes. Thus, nurses can cope with moral distress and nursing continues to be a critical and active profession, responsible for educational and health status, and respecting the lives of patients, students, and professionals(3333 Bordignon SS, Lunardi VL, Barlem ELD, Dalmolin GDL, Silveira RS, Ramos FRS, et al. Moral distress in undergraduate nursing students. Nurs Ethics. 2019;26(7-8):2325-39. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733018814902
https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733018814902...
). Finally, work environments should welcome a critical reflection and value an open discussion, facilitating the practice of ethics(3232 Ion R, DeSouza R, Kerin T. Teaching ethics: intersectionality, care failure and moral courage. Nurs Educ Today. 2018;62:98-100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2017.12.023
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2017.12.0...
).

Study Limitations

This review presents some limitations, including only papers written in Portuguese, English, or Spanish and excluding some types of publications. An additional limitation is that papers published in other sources were not included. These factors may have restricted access to other studies that might have provided relevant data.

Contribuitions to Nursing

This study has important implications for nursing teaching and practice. The studies showed nursing students’ perceptions, their levels of moral courage, and the factors associated with this ethical virtue, besides teaching practices related to moral courage. These results support the education of nurses, enabling the discussion and implementation of practices aimed at promoting moral courage in the academic context and highlighting its importance in nursing education and practice.

FINAL CONSIDERATIONS

This scoping review analyzes scientific evidence on moral courage among nursing undergraduate students. The results indicated a low level of evidence and strength. However, there is a growing trend in studies addressing this topic. All the studies originated in developed countries, except one, and reported a high level of moral courage. However, such a context may be different in developing countries where studies addressing this topic were not found, representing an important gap in the field.

Evidence on moral courage among nursing students has three thematic approaches that permeate aspects related to the students’ perception of moral courage, their level of moral courage and related factors, and the teaching of moral courage to students. Studies suggest that the factors related to moral courage include moral distress, moral sensitivity, age, and having a previous degree in the health field, among others. Furthermore, moral courage predicted anxiety disorder, acute stress disorder, and the presence of a mental disorder.

Although these studies are crucial for advancing knowledge in the field, important issues remain unclear, especially regarding the association between moral courage with mental disorders and satisfaction with the nursing program and profession. Hence, studies with more robust designs should be developed to clarify these aspects and explore moral courage among nursing students in more depth so that more accurate results are found with the level of evidence necessary to disseminate content on the topic and design more effective interventions.

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Edited by

EDITOR IN CHIEF: Dulce Barbosa
ASSOCIATE EDITOR: Mellina Yamamura

Publication Dates

  • Publication in this collection
    07 Apr 2023
  • Date of issue
    2023

History

  • Received
    03 May 2022
  • Accepted
    10 Sept 2022
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