The relationship between communication skills and moral distress among nurses: A cross-sectional study

Workplace tensions significantly contribute to moral distress in nursing. To address this, nurses must leverage practical communication skills to resolve disputes, alleviate moral distress, and provide top-notch, consistent care. This study examined the link between communication skills and moral distress among nurses. It was conducted as a cross-sectional study, which included 196 nurses from hospital clinical units in Yasuj, Iran, in 2022. Participants were chosen via stratified random sampling, and data were gathered using the Corley's Moral Distress Scale-Revised (MDS-R) and the Quinn-Dam Communication Skills Questionnaire. Analysis was carried out with Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 16, employing both descriptive and inferential statistical methods. Participants had a mean age of 30.37 (SD=5.15) years and an average of 7.22 (SD=5.25) years of work experience. The study found a significant positive link between moral distress and communication skills in nurses (r=0.351, P<0.001), showing that higher communication skills were associated with increased moral distress. Most nurses exhibited low moral distress (90.8%) and high communication skills (59.7%). A notable association emerged between education level and moral distress (P=0.017). These findings suggest a modest positive relationship between the two variables. Equipping nurses with elevated moral distress with communication training could lower their distress, foster better team dynamics, enhance collaboration, and elevate care quality.