Relationship Between Style of Coping With Stress and Level of Transition Shock Among New Graduate Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Study

Transition shock is prevalent among new graduate nurses. Coping effectively with stress may be essential for a successful transition into practice. The relationship between transition shock and style of coping with stress remains unexplored. The goal of this study was to determine the relationship between style of coping with stress and level of transition shock among new graduate nurses.

This descriptive, cross-sectional study was carried out with 252 new graduate nurses in two public hospitals in Istanbul, Turkey. Data were collected with a personal information form, the Coping Styles with Stress Scale, and the Nursing Transition Shock Scale.

Seeking social support, self-confidence, and optimism were the most commonly used styles of coping with stress, with median scores of 7 (range, 6-9), 12 (range, 10-14), and 8 (range, 7-10), respectively. Levels of transition shock for new graduate nurses were moderate, with a median score of 2.61 (range, 2.05-3.33). The helpless (r = .34, p = .000) and submissive (r = .23, p = .000) styles were correlated with higher levels of transition shock.

The level of transition shock increases with the helpless style and decreases with the use of the social support-seeking style. New graduates can cope with transition shock with simulation-based learning, effective orientation programs, a supportive working environment, and flexibility in the work shift. [.