Moral Resilience and Race, Ethnicity, and Culture Within Healthcare Workers During the COVID-19 Pandemic in the USA: a Scoping Review.

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has and continues to impact the world affecting all aspects of life. Healthcare workers have been hit especially hard and, in many cases, experience negative impacts not only on their physical health but also on their mental and emotional well-being. Additionally, the COVID-19 pandemic has not affected populations equally and this is true in the USA, including healthcare workers. However, these workers have also persevered, drawing on moral resilience to push through challenging situations throughout this pandemic. In this scoping review, we analyzed studies to assess the role of race, ethnicity, and/or culture on the moral resilience of healthcare workers throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. Our aim was to understand the research that has assessed these potential connections and determine best practices for building moral resilience in the face of this global catastrophe. Fourteen articles met inclusion criteria and were analyzed in this review. Following a thematic analysis, several themes emerged including (1) moral resilience and the COVID-19 pandemic; (2) race, ethnicity, and culture among healthcare workers; and (3) building moral resilience. In sum, the findings from the literature indicate a paucity of studies that analyze the role played by race, ethnicity, and/or culture in connection to moral resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic.