Understanding the mediated relationship between moral distress, depression, and suicide risk in undergraduate nursing students.

BACKGROUND:Nursing students are at higher risk for depression, suicide, and other mental health concerns as compared to the general college student population. Moral distress and other ethical issues may be a significant source of psychological harm within nursing student experiences and warrants further attention. PURPOSE:The purpose of this study was to understand the mediating effect of depression on the relationship between moral distress and suicide risk among undergraduate nursing students. METHODS:This cross-sectional analysis was derived from a larger sequential mixed methods study. The first phase was an online survey completed by a national sample of N = 679 nursing students in the United States. FINDINGS:The relationship between moral distress and suicide risk was fully mediated by depression and statistically significant at the alpha = 0.05 level. CONCLUSION:All three psychological variables (depression, moral distress, suicide risk) impact nursing students and require innovative solutions within nursing and educational programs.