Association of Moral Reasoning with Clinical Belongingness and Their Influential Factors among ICU Nurses

Simin  Kokabiasl; Sareh  Zekavat; Somayeh  Rostamkhan; Abolfazl  Dehbanizadeh; Mahsa  Ghaemizadeh; Milad  Amiri

doi:10.18502/ijme.v17i16.18613

Simin Kokabiasl MS in Psychiatric Nursing, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran.
Sareh Zekavat MS in Psychiatric Nursing, Yasuj University of Medical Sciences, Yasuj, Iran.
Somayeh Rostamkhan MS in Community Health Nursing, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
Abolfazl Dehbanizadeh MS in Medical-surgical Nursing, Yasuj University of Medical Sciences, Yasuj, Iran.
Mahsa Ghaemizadeh Master's student, Department of Pediatrics, Yasuj University of Medical Sciences, Yasuj, Iran.
Milad Amiri MS in Psychiatric Nursing, Yasuj University of Medical Sciences, Yasuj, Iran

DOI: https://doi.org/10.18502/ijme.v17i16.18613

Keywords: Clinical Belongingness, Moral Reasoning, Nurses, Intensive Care Unit.

Abstract

The intensive care unit (ICU) is a challenging and stressful environment where nurses encounter difficult ethical decisions daily. Therefore, this study aimed to determine the correlation between moral reasoning and clinical belongingness among Iranian ICU nurses. This cross-sectional, descriptive-analytical study was conducted on 126 nurses working in the adult ICUs of hospitals in Yasuj, Iran in 2023 using census sampling. Questionnaires measuring clinical belongingness and moral reasoning were used to collect data. Data were analyzed using independent samples t-test, ANOVA, regression, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient via SPSS-26 software. The findings revealed that the mean scores for clinical belongingness and moral reasoning among the nurses were 109.68 ± 13.75 and 36.07± 5.50, respectively, indicating good clinical belongingness and moderate moral reasoning. Moreover, a statistically significant relationship was identified between the place of service and clinical belongingness (p = 0.02), while no significant relationship was found between clinical belongingness and moral reasoning (p>0.05). Although no significant relationship was established between clinical belongingness and moral reasoning, certain demographic characteristics showed a significant predictive relationship with nurses' clinical belongingness. Accordingly, it is recommended that nursing officials and managers utilize these findings to improve moral reasoning and the sense of belonging to the clinical environment among nurses.