Stress and Occupational Coping among Brazilian Nurses in Critical Care Units during the COVID-19 Pandemic

To investigate the effects of sociodemographic and working condition variables, as well as the coping strategies used by nurses, on their occupational stress during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A cross-sectional study was conducted with 104 nurses who worked in intensive and emergency care at a public hospital in the state of São Paulo, Brazil. Data collection was performed in person and online using a questionnaire assessing sociodemographic and occupational characteristics, the Nursing Stress Inventory, and the Occupational Coping Scale.

The participants had a high level of stress (median = 132), especially in the 'interpersonal relations' domain (median = 63), and made little use of occupational coping strategies (median = 87). Income (p = 0.027), work shift (p = 0.028), being on leave from work (p = 0.020), number of hospitals with employment ties (p = 0.001), and relationship with management were independently associated with the levels of stress among the nurses.

In the present study, the high levels of stress among nurses were influenced by financial and work-related factors as well as interpersonal relationships. No significant association was found between stress among the nurses and the use of occupational coping strategies.