Author Type

Graduate Student

Date of Award

2020

Document Type

Dissertation

Publication Status

Version of Record

Submission Date

October 2026

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Tappen, Ruth M.

Abstract

Moral comfort, an emerging concept in nursing, is defined as an individual’s feelings of ease with decisions and actions related to a moral dilemma. Moral comfort for nurses is the positive outcome of a moral situation or dilemma, while moral distress, a widely explored issue in nursing, is the negative outcome. However, nursing literature on the concept of moral comfort is limited. While several instruments to measure moral distress exist, an instrument to measure moral comfort was not found. The Moral Comfort Questionnaire (MCQ) was theoretically developed. The purpose of this study was psychometric evaluation of this new 35-item instrument. Direct-care hospital-based registered nurses (n = 466) participated from February 2019 to September 2019 in this IRB-approved study. Participants completed demographic information, the MCQ, and the Moral Distress Scale revised (MDSR). Psychometric evaluation included a priori content validation and multiple statistical analyses: Cronbach’s alpha, Spearman’s correlation coefficient, weighted kappa, Bland- Altman analysis (B&A), discriminant validity, and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA).

Extent

192 p.

Comments

Includes bibliography.|Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2020.|FAU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Collection|Includes bibliography.

Identifier

FA00013445

Format

pdf

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