Correlation Between Stress and Coping Strategies Among Nurses Caring for COVID-19 Patients: A Cross-sectional Study

Abstract

Background: Nurses encounter a lot of stressors in the workplace because of high workload, long working hours, and work-income imbalance, and these stressors have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Consequently, nurses' occupational stress levels have also increased, thereby increasing the incidence of anxiety disorders. Evidence indicates that anxiety disorders may result from a lack of appropriate coping strategies. Objectives: The present study aimed to determine the relationship between stress and coping strategies among nurses caring for COVID-19 patients. Methods: This descriptive study was conducted on 178 nurses selected by simple random sampling. Data was collected using Cohen's Perceived Stress Scale, Lazarus and Folkman's Ways of Coping Questionnaire, and a demographic information form, and it was analyzed using SPSS 16 software. Results: The results indicated that age and job tenure were directly associated with perceived stress. Accordingly, increases in age and job tenure were accompanied by increases in perceived stress (P < 0.05). The results also revealed a significant relationship between perceived stress and confrontative coping, distancing, self-controlling, seeking social support, accepting responsibility, planful problem-solving, and positive reappraisal strategies (P < 0.05). Conclusions: The study findings demonstrated that stress coping strategies differed among nurses depending on age, gender, education level, and other demographic features. As these factors cannot be changed in most cases, training nurses in stress coping strategies can reduce their perceived stress.