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Humor: a coping response for student nurses.
1School of Nursing, University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio 78284.
Archives of Psychiatric Nursing
|February 1, 1991
Summary
Student nurses use humor as a coping mechanism in psychiatric settings when faced with bizarre situations or perceived threats. This cognitive strategy helps manage stress and achieve positive outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Nursing Education
Background:
- Humor is recognized as a coping mechanism in healthcare.
- Understanding student nurses' use of humor in psychiatric settings is crucial for support and training.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the circumstances under which student nurses utilize humor as a coping strategy.
- To analyze the antecedents and nature of humorous coping in psychiatric nursing students.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative study involving 43 senior student nurses.
- Content analysis of 38 anonymous narratives describing humorous situations.
- Evaluation of emergent categories against Lazarus's theory of stress and coping.
Main Results:
- Common antecedents for humor included novel/bizarre behaviors/thoughts, negative self-evaluation, and perceived threats.
- Tension manifested as anxiety, frustration, fear, and puzzlement.
- Humorous coping, alongside cognitive appraisal, mediated stressful person-environment interactions.
Conclusions:
- Student nurses employ cognitive and behavioral strategies to manage stress through humor.
- Humor serves as an adaptive coping mechanism for student nurses in challenging psychiatric environments.
- Findings align with stress and coping theories, highlighting humor's role in positive adaptation.