Moral awareness and its relationship with moral sensitivity among Iranian nursing students: A basis for nursing ethics education

Abstract

Abstract Aim This descriptive‐analytical correlational study was carried out to examine moral awareness and its relationship with moral sensitivity among Iranian nursing students. Design A descriptive‐analytical correlational study. Methods The present descriptive‐analytical study was performed among 140 Iranian nursing students. The data collection tool was a three‐part questionnaire including (1) Demographic Information Questionnaire, (2) Nurses' Awareness about the Iranian Nursing Code of Ethics by Mohajjel Aghdam and (3) Moral Sensitivity Questionnaire (MSQ) by Kim Lutzen. The data collected from these questionnaires were analysed in SPSS‐26 using descriptive and inferential statistics. Results The mean moral awareness (29.42 ± 4.01) was good, and the mean moral sensitivity (135.05 ± 18.79) was moderate among the students. A significant positive correlation was observed between the total score of moral awareness and moral sensitivity (r = .22, p = .009) in the nursing students.

Keywords

• moral awareness
• moral sensitivity
• nursing students