This study examines why and how nurses might respond to moral distress by engaging in workplace deviance. Drawing on social cognitive theory of moral thought and action (Bandura, 1986), we propose that nurses’ moral distress increases their production deviance and interpersonal deviance via moral disengagement. A three-phase survey study on a sample of Chinese nurses provides support for our hypothesized model. Specifically, the indirect effects of moral distress on production and interpersonal deviance via moral disengagement are positive and significant. Theoretical and practical implications of our study are discussed.
