Summary
Nursing is acknowledged as a stressful occupation, and the negative impact of high
stress levels have been widely researched. Less attention has been paid to methods
for coping with stress. The researchers conducted a study to explore and identify
how nurses cope with work-related stress away from their work environments. Six focus
groups were conducted with 38 nurses, including nursing directors, nurse unit managers,
and ward nurses from a wide range of clinical areas. From the interview material,
11 coping strategies were identified: drinking alcohol, smoking, using the staff social
club, using social networking websites, exercising, family activities, home-based
activities, outdoor activities, avoiding people, displacement, and sleep. Although
several adaptive strategies appear in this list (e.g., exercising, home-based activities),
some nurses were using unhealthy behaviours to cope with work-related stress (e.g.,
drinking alcohol, smoking, displacement). This study clearly demonstrates the value
of using qualitative approaches to understanding how nurses cope with stress. Knowledge
produced locally, such as that generated for the hospital in this study, should serve
as the foundation for organisational strategies to enhance the health of nurses.
Keywords
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Article info
Publication history
Published online: September 26, 2012
Accepted:
August 31,
2012
Received in revised form:
August 30,
2012
Received:
April 1,
2012
Identification
Copyright
© 2013 Published by Elsevier Inc.
