Investigating Nurses Stress Response Strategies During the COVID-19 Pandemic

BACKGROUND: Stress response strategies are a conscious effort to solve personal and interpersonal problems, aiming to minimize stress. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study is to investigate the stress response strategies of nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. METHODS: The sample consisted of 550 Greek nurses working in Greece and other European countries (460 women and 90 men). Ways of Coping was used as the data collection tool. Participants were invited to complete the questionnaire via online GOOGLE FORMS. The statistical processing was carried out using a descriptive and inferential analysis via the statistical package for Social Science (SPSS v.21). RESULTS: Analysis of the results shows a statistically significant difference between the two genders in the questionnaire’s subscales “Search for social support” (Women=1.88, Men=1.57, p<0.001) and “Wishful Thinking” (Women=1.76, Men=1.51, p <0. Also, there was a statistically significant difference in terms of country of work regarding the following subscales: ‘Search for social support’ (Greece=1.85, Outside Greece=1.67, p=0.019), ‘Wishful Thinking’ (Greece=1.74, Outside Greece=1.51, p=0.005) and ‘Problem Solving Assertion’ (Greece=1.39, Outside Greece=1.13, p=0.001). CONCLUSION: Stress response strategies for nurses are fundamental in addressing the difficult situations and conditions they face due to the COVID-19 pandemic.