Coping strategies of health professionals suspected or confirmed to have COVID-19 in a teaching maternity hospital.

Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic impacted the physical and mental health of health professionals.

Objectives: To assess the coping strategies employed by health professionals in response to the suspicion or confirmation of infection with the novel coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) according to their sociodemographic, clinical-epidemiological, and occupational profiles.

Methods: This cross-sectional study was conducted from March 2020 to January 2021 at a teaching maternity hospital located in the Northeast region of Brazil and included 188 health professionals. The Coping Strategies Inventory was used to assess confrontation, problem-solving, distancing, self-care, acceptance of responsibility, positive reappraisal, escape-avoidance, and social support. Cronbach's alpha, Mann-Whitney, Kruskal-Wallis, and post-hoc tests were applied (α = 5%).

Results: Social support (1.28 ± 0.70) and problem-solving (1.25 ± 0.68) were the most frequently adopted coping strategies. Women scored significantly higher than men in social support (1.33 vs. 0.83; p = 0.046), escape-avoidance (1.00 vs. 0.50; p = 0.036), and positive reappraisal (1.22 vs. 0.95; p = 0.009). Professionals who reported adopting preventive measures in the workplace had higher scores in social support (p = 0.016) and positive reappraisal (p = 0.016).

Conclusions: Social support and problem-solving were the main coping strategies used in the face of suspected or confirmed COVID-19. Understanding the needs and experiences of health professionals during crises is essential for developing targeted interventions that respect the specific characteristics of each group.