A poetic inquiry exploring social workers’ experiences with moral distress

Abstract

This poetic inquiry presents the synthesized findings of a qualitative study exploring moral distress among social workers. Moral distress occurs when practitioners must act in ways that conflict with their personal values because of systemic constraints. We conducted interviews with 15 social workers across various settings—public child welfare, clinical practice, and health care—and at different levels of practice, including direct service, supervisory, and executive roles. From these interviews, our team crafted three “found poems” using participants’ own words and phrases. These poems serve a dual purpose: they artistically convey our findings and amplify the voices of social workers navigating the ethical tensions imposed by organizational barriers. The poems reveal the intricate nature of moral distress—the internal struggle between the social work we aspire to do and the limitations that prevent us from doing it. Ultimately, this poetic inquiry calls for supportive frameworks that respect and uphold social work values, enabling practitioners and institutions to deliver compassionate, equitable services in alignment with their ethical commitments.