MORAL DISTRESS AND EXPRESSED EMOTION IN HEALTHCARE STAFF: A COGNITIVE-BEHAVIORAL PSYCHOEDUCATIONAL PROGRAM
Abstract
The article presents the results of theoretical and empirical study of moral distress and expressed emotion (EE) in healthcare staff towards service users with chronic diseases. The study aims, firstly, to examine an association between EE and moral distress in healthcare staff, secondly, to develop methodological basis for the author’s experimental cognitive-behavioral psychoeducational program, finally, to implement the program in experimental (n=75) and control groups (75). The objective of the cognitive-behavioral psychoeducational program is to weaken the emotion of guilt, shame, helplessness and excessive responsibility (moral distress) in healthcare staff, which, furthermore, will reduce their critical, hostile and emotional over-involving attitude towards the service users. The cognitive-behavioral psychoeducational program consists of 3 modules, each of which lasts 6 hours, and has specific goals and content. The methodological basis of the program is provided by an attributional theory of achievement motivation and emotion, and the principles of cognitive-behavioral therapy. The results of the implementation of the cognitive-behavioral psychoeducational program indicate a decrease levels of EE in experimental group of healthcare staff, who interact with service users with gastrointestinal deseases at the level of p<0.001. The results of the study indicate that cognitive-behavioral psychoeducational program is effective in reducing EE level in healthcare workers, specifically in staff, interacting with service users with chronic diseases gastrointestinal diseases. However, the program requires more cognitive-behavioral techniques aimed at reducing moral distress in healthcare staff. More specifically we consider interventions aligned with feelings of guilt and shame to be the prospects of our further research.
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