Stress and coping among cardiovascular nurses: a survey in Brazil

Cardiovascular nurses are frequently involved in critical patient care, providing support to patients and their families. The goals of this study were to survey a representative sample of cardiovascular nurses, describe ways of coping, and identify sources of stress in the hospital setting. A descriptive and correlational survey design was used. A self-completed questionnaire was distributed to 76 nurses from a cardiovascular hospital in São Paulo City, Brazil. The measures were the Nursing Stress Evaluation Questionnaire (NSEQ) by Bianchi and Ways of Coping Questionnaire (WCOQ) by Folkman and Lazarus. A high response rate of 76.3% was achieved. The results identified work conditions as the major source of stress for nurses and use of positive reappraisal, self-controlling skills, and social support to cope with job stress. Nurses are using coping strategies based on personal resources but the use of organizational strategies is encouraged to improve life quality. Mental health nurses could play an essential role in preventive stress management programs for hospital nurses.