Study of stress, coping and psychosomatic health among would-be baccalaureate nurses

Abstract

Stress is a risk factor that may endanger our quality of life and health. Certain occupational groups are particularly concerned, such as health care workers. Objective: The present study aimed to investigate the stress load and coping strategies of nurses as well as their psychosomatic health. Method: The questionnaire survey was performed at the University of Szeged. The sample consisted of 208 nursing students (136 part-time and 72 full-time students). The self-completed questionnaire included items of psychosomatic symptoms, coping strategies and stress load. Results: Persons characterized by high level of stress and more frequent psychosomatic symptoms tended to use inadaptive ways of coping more often; whereas those with a relatively lower stress level and fewer symptoms were not characterized by a more frequent use of active ways of coping but instead a lack of the inadaptive coping strategies. Conclusions: The authors concluded that vulnerability of the would-be baccalaureate nurses in this sample was especially high because they even used less effectively the ways of coping that otherwise aimed at both problem solving and maintaining their own health. Orv. Hetil., 2012, 153, 1225–1233.