Critical consciousness of public health nurses: A descriptive, comparative survey

Background: Public Health Nurses (PHN) caring for vulnerable populations amid systemic inequality must navigate complex situations, and consequently they may experience serious moral distress known to be detrimental to PHN wellbeing. Objective: Given PHN awareness of social inequities, the study aimed to determine if PHNs were motivated to enact social change and engage in social and political action to address inequality. Design and sample: A survey of 173 PHNs was conducted in fall 2022. The convenience sample was mainly female (96.5%), White (85%), had associate/bachelor's degrees (71.7%), and worked in governmental public health settings (70.7%). Measure: The study employed the Short Critical Consciousness Scales’ subscales: Critical Reflection, Critical Motivation, and Critical Action. Results: PHNs were highly motivated to address inequities (Critical Motivation = 20.83; SD = 3.16), with similarly high awareness (Critical Reflection = 17.89; SD = 5.18). However, social and political action scores were much lower (Critical Action = 7.13; SD = 2.63). A subgroup of PHNs with strong agreement regarding the impact of poverty were more likely to be younger (p =.039) and work in a community setting (p =.003); with higher scores across subscales (p <.001). Conclusions: High critical reflection and motivation among PHNs aligned with literature. Lower Critical Action scores warrant investigation into validity for PHNs, and possible role constraints.