Emotional Exhaustion, Moral Sensitivity, and Happiness Among Nurses in Cardiac Wards: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study Publisher Pubmed

Summary: Does workplace strain affect cardiac nurses? A cross-sectional study linked emotional exhaustion and moral sensitivity with happiness, without proving causation. #Nursing #MentalHealth

Dorri S ; Rasooli S A
Source: Journal of Nursing Management Published:2026

Abstract

Aim(s): To examine associations of emotional exhaustion and moral sensitivity with happiness among nurses in cardiac wards. Background: Cardiac nursing involves sustained emotional demands and ethical challenges, yet their relative associations with happiness are unclear. Method(s): This multicenter cross-sectional study randomly sampled 220 nurses from four Iranian teaching hospitals. Validated questionnaires assessed happiness, moral sensitivity, and emotional exhaustion. Pearson correlations were primary, with Spearman sensitivity analyses. HC3-robust multivariable linear regression estimated adjusted associations. Results: Happiness was inversely correlated with emotional exhaustion (r = −0.409, 95% CI −0.515 to −0.291) and moral sensitivity (r = −0.245, 95% CI −0.374 to −0.106). In the complete-case model (n = 181), emotional exhaustion remained clearly associated with lower happiness (B = −0.184, 95% CI −0.262 to −0.107), whereas the adjusted moral sensitivity association was smaller and less precise (B = −0.069, 95% CI −0.140 to 0.002). Sensitivity analyses supported the stability of the emotional exhaustion estimate. Conclusion(s): Emotional exhaustion showed the stronger and more consistent association with happiness; however, findings should be interpreted considering the modest reliability of the happiness measure and the cross-sectional design, which limits causal inference. Implications for Nursing Management: Nurse managers should address modifiable work conditions and recovery opportunities while preserving organizational support for ethical practice. Copyright © 2026 Safoura Dorri and Seyed Ali Rasooli. Journal of Nursing Management published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.