Level of stress among nurses and their adopted coping strategies

Objectives: This study was aimed at identifying the nurse’s level of stress and the coping mechanism adopted by them. Materials and Methods: A descriptive study was done to assess the level of stress and the coping strategies adopted by the nurses in a secondary hospital in North East India, Nagaland. A total enumerative sampling technique was used to select 94 samples for the study. The Nursing stress scale (NSS) by Gray-Toft and Anderson 1981 was used to assess stress, and the Ways of Coping Questionnaire was used. Results: Of 94 samples, 68 (72.34%) had a mild level of stress, 25 (26.59%) had a moderate level of stress, and only 1 (0.06%) had a severe level of stress. Thirty-one (32.97%) used minimal coping strategies, and 63 (67.02%) used moderate coping strategies. There was no significant association between the stress level and selected demographic variables such as age, marital status, and years of experience (all P > 0.05). A significant association was found between the stresses of nurses and qualification of nurses (χ2 = 4.10, P = 0.04). Conclusion: The study reveals that most nurses had mild levels of stress. Most nurses use moderate coping strategies to relieve their stressors at work. Thus, there is a need to emphasize the importance of using effective coping strategies for nurses to alleviate their stresses and anxiety in their workplace and even in their personal lives.