Surface and deep causes of moral distress: A qualitative study among healthcare professionals

Giulia Lamiani, Michele Montecalvo, Silvia Ceruti, Lidia Borghi, Mario Picozzi, Alessandra A. Grossi, Clinical Psychology Unit, ASST Santi Paolo e Carlo Hospitals, Department of Health Sciences, University of Milan, Research Center for Clinical Ethics, Department of Biotechnology and Life Sciences, University of Insubria, Department of Human Sciences, Innovation and Territory, University of Insubria

Nursing Ethics: An International Journal for Health Care Professionals

Published online on January 29, 2026

Abstract

Nursing Ethics, Volume 33, Issue 4, Page 978-993, June 2026.
BackgroundIn the last 40 years, moral distress among nurses and other healthcare professionals (HCPs) has gained considerable attention. Some scholars, including Morley et al., have proposed expanding the definition of moral distress to include distress ...