CClinicalTrials.gg
Enrolling by invitationNCT07455370MDMIPTSUpdated Sep 17, 2026

A Study of Moral Distress, Moral Injury and Post-Traumatic Stress for Nurses

An observational study in Moral Injury, Moral Distress and Post-Traumatic Stress, sponsored by Mayo Clinic. Enrolling by invitation at 3 sites in United States. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2026-09-17.

Sponsored by Mayo Clinic · Observational

Study type
Observational
Model
Case-only
Time perspective
Cross-sectional
Enrollment
21,300
Sex
All
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Study summary

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.
02

Conditions studied

  • Moral Injury
  • Moral Distress
  • Post-Traumatic Stress
  • Nurse Well-being
  • Wellbeing
  • Wellness, Psychological
  • Wellness
  • Nurses
  • Nurse Health

Keywords

  • Moral Injury
  • Moral Distress
  • Post-Traumatic Stress
  • Nurse Wellbeing
  • Nurse burnout
03

In context

Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic

2,239 studies on the registry are indexed under Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic; 554 are open to participants now.

This study's planned enrollment of 21,300 is above the median of 136 across 295 observational studies indexed under Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic.

Browse Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic studies →

Lead sponsor

Mayo Clinic is the lead sponsor of 3,218 studies on the registry; 670 are open to participants now.

Of its 445 completed or terminated interventional studies of FDA-regulated products, 313 (70%) have results posted.

Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.

04

Who can participate

Ages eligible
Child (0–17), Adult (18–64), Older adult (65+)
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
No
Sampling method
Non-probability sample

Study population

Mayo Clinic Department of Nursing Staff across all Mayo Clinic sites, including: Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota; Mayo Clinic in Arizona; Mayo Clinic in Florida; and Mayo Clinic Health System sites in the midwest.

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

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
05

Study design

Observational model
Case-only
Time perspective
Cross-sectional
Enrollment
21,300 participants (estimated)
Patient registry
No

Groups and cohorts

  • Mayo Clinic Nurses

    Mayo Clinic Department of Nursing staff across the enterprise including advanced practice nurses, registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and nursing support/unlicensed staff.

    Other: Surveys

Interventions

  • OtherSurveys

    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 questionnaire with wellbeing questions.

06

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Measure of Moral Distress-Healthcare Professionals (MMD-HP) Score

    The MMD-HP (Measure of Moral Distress-Healthcare Professionals) is a 27-item moral distress scale. A composite score is computed for items 1 - 25 and is obtained by multiplying the frequency scores (0 = Never to 4 = Very Frequently scale) and the distress scores (0 = None to 4 = Very Distressing scale) for each item; the products of these can range from 0 - 16. Higher scores indicate a greater deal of moral distress.

    Time frame: Baseline

  2. Moral Injury Outcome Scale (MIOS) score

    The Moral Injury Outcome Scale (MIOS) is a 14-item self-reported survey divided into two subscales-shame-related and trust-violation related. Both the shame and trust-violated subscales are seven items per subscale. Respondents are asked to indicate how strongly they agree with each statement in the past month using a 5 point Likert scale where 0 = Strongly Disagree and 4 = Strongly Agree. The total score range for each subscale is 0 - 28, and the overall score range is 0 - 56. Symptom severity is categorized as follows: 14 - 28 indicates mild moral injury, 29 - 42 indicates moderate moral injury, and 35 - 56 indicates severe moral injury.

    Time frame: Baseline

  3. Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PCL-5) score

    The PCL - 5 (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PSTD) Checklist) is a 20-item self-reported survey that assesses the 20 DSM-5 symptoms of PTSD. Respondents are asked to indicate the frequency that each item occurs on a 5 point Likert scale where 0 = Not at All and 4 = Extremely. The total score is the sum of all 20 questions, with higher scores indicating a greater likelihood of PTSD.

    Time frame: Baseline

07

Study locations

3 sites
  • Mayo Clinic
    Phoenix, Arizona 85054, United States
  • Mayo Clinic
    Jacksonville, Florida 32250, United States
  • Mayo Clinic
    Rochester, Minnesota 55905, United States
08

References and documents

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. PubMed 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. PubMed 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 review and content analysis of existing scales. Clin Psychol Rev. 2024 Mar;108:102377. doi: 10.1016/j.cpr.2023.102377. Epub 2023 Dec 27. PubMed 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. PubMed 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. Eur J Psychotraumatol. 2024;15(1):2299661. doi: 10.1080/20008066.2023.2299661. Epub 2024 Feb 9. PubMed 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. PubMed 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. PubMed 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. PubMed 32372541 ↗
  • Brennan CJ, Roberts C, Cole JC. Prevalence of occupational moral injury and post-traumatic embitterment disorder: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Open. 2024 Feb 20;14(2):e071776. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2023-071776. PubMed 38382965 ↗
  • Weber MC, Smith AJ, Jones RT, Holmes GA, Johnson AL, Patrick RNC, Alexander MD, Miyazaki Y, Wright H, Ehman AC, Langenecker SA, Benight CC, Pyne JM, Harris JI, Usset TJ, Maguen S, Griffin BJ. Moral injury and psychosocial functioning in health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Psychol Serv. 2023 Feb;20(1):19-29. doi: 10.1037/ser0000718. Epub 2022 Nov 10. PubMed 36355661 ↗
  • Ehman AC, Smith AJ, Wright H, Langenecker SA, Benight CC, Maguen S, Pyne JM, Harris JI, Cooney N, Griffin BJ. Exposure to potentially morally injurious events and mental health outcomes among frontline workers affected by the coronavirus pandemic. Psychol Trauma. 2023 Mar;15(3):524-535. doi: 10.1037/tra0001345. Epub 2022 Aug 4. PubMed 35925697 ↗
  • Hines SE, Chin KH, Glick DR, Wickwire EM. Trends in Moral Injury, Distress, and Resilience Factors among Healthcare Workers at the Beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Jan 9;18(2):488. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18020488. PubMed 33435300 ↗
  • Papazoglou K, Chopko B. The Role of Moral Suffering (Moral Distress and Moral Injury) in Police Compassion Fatigue and PTSD: An Unexplored Topic. Front Psychol. 2017 Nov 15;8:1999. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2017.01999. eCollection 2017. No abstract available. PubMed 29187830 ↗
  • Maguen S, Litz BT. Moral Injury in Veterans of War. PTSD Research Quarterly (RQ). 2012;23(1):1-3.
  • Gibbons SW, Shafer M, Hickling EJ, Ramsey G. How do deployed health care providers experience moral injury? Narrat Inq Bioeth. 2013 Winter;3(3):247-59. doi: 10.1353/nib.2013.0055. PubMed 24407133 ↗
  • Litz BT, Stein N, Delaney E, Lebowitz L, Nash WP, Silva C, Maguen S. Moral injury and moral repair in war veterans: a preliminary model and intervention strategy. Clin Psychol Rev. 2009 Dec;29(8):695-706. doi: 10.1016/j.cpr.2009.07.003. Epub 2009 Jul 29. PubMed 19683376 ↗
  • Shay J. Achilles in Vietnam: Combat Trauma and the Undoing of Character. New York, NY: Scribner; 1994. 246 p.
  • Yan GW. The Invisible Wound: Moral Injury and Its Impact on the Health of Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom Veterans. Mil Med. 2016 May;181(5):451-8. doi: 10.7205/MILMED-D-15-00103. PubMed 27136652 ↗
  • Horesh D, Brown AD. Traumatic stress in the age of COVID-19: A call to close critical gaps and adapt to new realities. Psychol Trauma. 2020 May;12(4):331-335. doi: 10.1037/tra0000592. PubMed 32271070 ↗
  • Wingfield T, Taegtmeyer M. Healthcare workers and Coronavirus: Behind the stiff upper lip we are highly vulnerable Waltham, MA: The Conversation; 2020 [Available from: https://theconversation.com/healthcare-workers-and-coronavirus-behind-the-stiff-upper-lip-we-are-highly-vulnerable-133864.
  • Agazio J, Goodman P. Making the hard decisions: Ethical care decisions in wartime nursing practice. Nurs Outlook. 2017 Sep-Oct;65(5S):S92-S99. doi: 10.1016/j.outlook.2017.06.010. Epub 2017 Jun 30. PubMed 28807499 ↗
  • Gibbons SW, Shafer M, Aramanda L, Hickling EJ, Benedek DM. Combat health care providers and resiliency: adaptive coping mechanisms during and after deployment. Psychol Serv. 2014 May;11(2):192-9. doi: 10.1037/a0033165. Epub 2013 Jul 15. PubMed 23855421 ↗
  • American Association of Critical Care Nurses. AACN Public Policy Position Statement 2001. Aliso Viejo, CA: American Association of Critical Care Nurses; 2001.
  • Epstein EG, Whitehead PB, Prompahakul C, Thacker LR, Hamric AB. Enhancing Understanding of Moral Distress: The Measure of Moral Distress for Health Care Professionals. AJOB Empir Bioeth. 2019 Apr-Jun;10(2):113-124. doi: 10.1080/23294515.2019.1586008. Epub 2019 Apr 19. PubMed 31002584 ↗
  • American Association of Critical Care Nurses. Moral distress public policy position statement. Aliso Viejo, CA: American Association of Critical Care Nurses; 2008.

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No

09

Updates

Tracking since Sep 25, 2026
No changes since tracking began. The registry record was last updated on Sep 17, 2026, before this site started recording changes on Sep 25, 2026. Its history is on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
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Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT07455370
Lead sponsor
Mayo Clinic
Collaborators
Mayo Clinic Center for Clinical and Translational Science (CCaTS)
Responsible party
Melissa A. Wilson (Senior Associate Consultant, Mayo Clinic) — Principal investigator
First posted
Mar 6, 2026
Start date
Mar 3, 2026
Primary completion
Jun 5, 2026
Completion
Nov 2026 (estimated)
Last update
Sep 17, 2026

Study contacts

Melissa A Wilson, PhD
principal investigator · Mayo Clinic
Cindy Tofthagen, PhD
principal investigator · Mayo Clinic

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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