Introduction Intense psychological and emotional stress experienced by nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic interferes with their wellbeing and work efficiency. Stress-management behaviors are required to enhance coping and ameliorate stress effects. Therefore, it is necessary to examine the management behavior of nurses during the pandemic to suggest ways to improve their wellbeing. Objective The study aimed to examine nurses’ work-related stress management behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic in UAE. Methods This was a cross-sectional survey of 64 nurses working in the Isolation and Intensive care units of two selected hospitals in the United Arab Emirates. A convenience sampling technique was used for sample selection. Each participant completed an online survey via Google forms of two validated instruments: a 10-item scale to measure perceived stress levels and a 15-item Stress management inventory. The completed questionnaires were analyzed on SPSS version 25. Results Respondents (78.1%) reported a moderate level of stress (Mean = 18.03 and SD = 5.33). Stress management behaviors utilized included four elements (eliminating stressors, developing resilience, using short-term coping, and effective delegating) and the mean and SD were 17.62 ± 2.6, 17.42 ± 3.3, 8.88 ± 1.47, and 23.98 ± 3.54 respectively. There was a significant positive correlation between these four elements of stress management inventory (p = 0.00). Findings also showed a significant inverse correlation between the scores on perceived stress, short-term coping, and effective delegation. The overall regression of demographic covariates on stress management behaviors was not statistically significant [F = (1.015), (0.602), (0.909), (1.286), p >0.05]. Conclusions Effective delegating and developing resilience were effective stress management behavior among nurses. Regular assessment of the psychological needs of nurses is essential to enhance overall wellbeing during stressful situations.

The burden of providing care to patients during the COVID-19 pandemic escalated stress among nurses, which affected their mental health, and called for effective coping. The goal of this study was to correlate the burden of caregiving with the management of stress by nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United Arab Emirates. We conducted this cross-sectional correlational study among the nurses in two hospitals in the United Arab Emirates. A non-probability voluntary sample (n = 64) was taken of nurses working in the intensive care unit (n = 41) and isolation wards (n = 24). The respondents completed two questionnaires via Google Forms, namely, the Professional Care Team Burden Scale and the 15-item Stress Management Inventory. The findings indicate that the nurses reported moderate (37.5%) to low (62.5%) levels of the burden associated with caregiving. There was a significant inverse correlation between the burden of care and three elements of the stress management inventory, namely developing resiliency (r = −.284, p = .023), short-term coping (r = −313, p = .012), and effective delegation (r = −.395, p = .001). However, there was no correlation between the burden of care and eliminating stressor elements. The findings suggest that when nurses increased their resilience, short-term coping strategies and effective delegation they tended to experience less burden of caregiving during the COVID-19 pandemic. We therefore recommend that health policymakers focus on supporting resilience, short-term coping strategies and effective delegation in the nursing work environment to reduce the burden of caregiving.