The effects of perceived stress and ways of coping in a sample of Portuguese health workers

Aim. The goal of this study is to clarify the association between perceived stress in work and the types of coping strategies used by Portuguese nurses. Background. The healthcare work environment as a source of overwork and stress has been implicated in today’s nursing shortage. Staff nurses play a pivotal role in creating work environments, but little is known about the nature of Portuguese nurses’ work. Design. A descriptive correlational design and a cross‐sectional approach were used for this study. Method. A total of 102 registered nurses, in three Portuguese hospitals, were selected. The Perceived Stress Scale and the Ways of Coping Questionnaire were used to measure job stress and coping strategies, respectively. Results. High levels of stress were reported by 52·2% of respondents. The results showed that the main stressful factors for nurses are patient death and dying (32·8%), followed by emergency situations (22·8%) and low supportive relationships (18·0%). The most frequently used coping strategy was self‐controlling, followed by planful problem‐solving and seeking social support. Pearson’s correlation tests indicated that the total score of the Perceived Stress Scale significantly negatively correlated with the subscales of the use of coping strategies of seeking social support, self‐controlling, planful problem‐solving, distancing and escape‐avoidance, indicating that those who were more distressed showed lower levels in mentioned coping subscales. Conclusion. Stress in nursing can be best reduced through the application of the control cycle approach and risk assessment/risk management techniques. Stress management of nurses may improve their productivity and quality of life. Relevance to clinical practice. A change in leadership styles from the managerial level and reallocation of personnel may help reduce job stress. It is important for clinical practitioners to understand theoretical research concerning human stress responses, appraisal and coping to apply knowledge in practice when dealing with a client who has experienced a crisis.