Analysis of Strategies for Managing Stress by Polish Nurses during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Stefanowicz, Anna; Słomion, Magdalena; Rąpała, Małgorzata

doi:10.3390/healthcare10102008

Cited by 4 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…However, contrary to the results obtained in our study, other studies by Polish researchers indicate that more medics used adaptive strategies of coping with stress [ 45 ]. For example, a study conducted in a group of Polish nurses showed that they prefer active strategies for coping with stress and focus on the problem, while they least often resort to psychoactive substances [ 46 , 47 ] or cease activities [ 47 , 48 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anxiety and Depression Levels and Coping Strategies among Polish Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Budzyńska

Moryś

2023

IJERPH

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, medical staff were commonly exposed to stress, work under pressure, and long shifts, and may have experienced a fear of infecting loved ones or a fear for their own health. All of these factors may have increased the likelihood that healthcare workers will experience the symptoms of depression, anxiety, or other mental health disorders. In this cross-sectional study, a group of respondents was gathered from the employees of 78 hospitals in Poland. A questionnaire was completed electronically by 282 people, aged between 20 and 78 years. The study used the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and the MiniCOPE questionnaire to examine anxiety and depression symptoms, and coping strategies, respectively. With age, the respondents declared fewer symptoms of anxiety and tended to have milder symptoms of depression. Participants with chronic illnesses, mood disorders, or anxiety disorders also reported higher levels of anxiety and depression symptoms. More than 20% of healthcare workers felt the need to consult with a psychologist. In the entire group of healthcare professionals surveyed, the most commonly used strategies for coping with stress were “denial”, “psychoactive drug and alcohol use”, and “cessation of activities”, while the least used strategy was “acceptance”. Given the most commonly used strategies in the surveyed group of healthcare professionals, they may be predictors for a deterioration in mental state in the long run. The obtained results also suggest that it is likely that pre-existing health problems had a greater impact on the mental health of medical staff during the COVID-19 pandemic than the profession itself. Therefore, taking care of the well-being and mental health of healthcare workers should be a priority for employers.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Anxiety and Depression Levels and Coping Strategies among Polish Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Budzyńska

Moryś

2023

IJERPH

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“…In the study by Stefanowicz-Bielska et.al., most nurses responded that they have often or almost always been concentrating their efforts on doing something about the situation they are in (45% and 42%, respectively) and they have been taking action to try to make the situation better (37% and 51%, respectively). The majority of nurses stated that they never take the following action: I’ve been saying to myself “this isn’t real” (48%), I’ve been using alcohol or other substances to make myself feel better (72%), I’ve been using alcohol or other drugs to help me get through it (75%), and I’ve given up the attempt to cope (51%) [ 33 ]. Analysing the impact of education in the presented work, we notice that staff with a diploma (1.69) and a master’s degree (1.7), more often than people with a bachelor’s degree (1.46), during difficult life situations deal with other activities in order not to think about the problem.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Analysis of the Level of Stress and Methods of Coping with Stress among the Nursing Staff

Antczak-Komoterska,

Haor,

Malinowska

et al. 2023

Nursing Reports

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In general, “stress” is the reaction of the body to mental and physical demands placed on it. Stress disrupts mental balance, and reduces the ability to work and function, which negatively affects the performance of duties. The aim of this study was to analyse the level of stress and ways of coping with it among nursing staff. The study covered 220 nurses employed at the Provincial Specialist Hospital in Włocławek. The research tool was the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10) and the Brief-COPE. The results of this survey showed the occurrence of average and high levels of experiencing stress in 36% and 40%of staff, respectively. Brief-COPE scale results show that substance use/gender (men) and use of emotional support/place of work (internal medicine department) are significant at p < 0.01. Considering the impact of the workplace on the use of psychoactive substances, it can be seenthat people working in the surgical ward are more likely to use psychoactive substances. Furthermore, nurses in the surgical ward find it easier to think and plan what to do when faced with a difficult life situation. Most often, the respondents with the highest work experience, i.e., the elderly, declared a return to religion. The results of the research indicate that the nursing community experiences stress to an average or significant degree. The strategies are mainly based on active coping and seeking emotional and instrumental support. Further research is needed in this field. This study was not pre-registered on a publicly accessibly registry.

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“…Participants of this study also participated in a study about strategies for managing stress [ 26 ].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Life Satisfaction of Nurses during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Poland

Stefanowicz

Słomion

Rąpała³

2022

IJERPH

Self Cite

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Background: Health care practitioners are at highest risk of COVID-19 disease. They experience an enormous overload of work and time pressures. The objective of the study was to assess nurses’ life satisfaction. Method: The study included professionally active nurses. The research method was an author’s questionnaire and a standardized questionnaire, the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS). Results: The study group included 361 working nurses. The mean raw score and the sten score of the nurses’ responses to the statements on the SWLS questionnaire were 21.0 (SD ± 5.6, range = 5–35) and 5.73 (SD ± 1.94, range = 1–10), respectively. It was shown that lower life satisfaction was experienced by nurses aged 51 to 60 (raw score: p = 0.003, sten score: p = 0.005), as well as nurses with secondary and undergraduate nursing education (raw score: p = 0.061, sten score: p = 0.043). Nurses who had a higher self-evaluation of the level of knowledge about SARS-CoV-2 infection experienced greater life satisfaction (raw score: p = 0.008, sten score: p = 0.022). Conclusions: The majority of Polish nurses surveyed during the COVID-19 pandemic had a low or medium level of life satisfaction. The low response rate to the survey was most likely due to work overloads during the pandemic. Working in a public service profession, a nurse is exposed to stressful conditions related to protecting human health. Constant difficult and stressful situations and total fatigue experienced by nursing professionals can be the cause of a lack of motivation, occupational burnout, listlessness and mental and physical disease. Further research is necessary to assess the factors positively influencing the level of life satisfaction.

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Analysis of Strategies for Managing Stress by Polish Nurses during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Cited by 4 publications

References 29 publications

Anxiety and Depression Levels and Coping Strategies among Polish Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Anxiety and Depression Levels and Coping Strategies among Polish Healthcare Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Analysis of the Level of Stress and Methods of Coping with Stress among the Nursing Staff

Life Satisfaction of Nurses during the COVID-19 Pandemic in Poland

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