Stress, Resilience, and Sense of Coherence in Healthcare Professionals

Among healthcare personnel, longitudinal studies have shown high levels of stress before, during and after the pandemic. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between stress, psychological resilience, and sense of coherence in healthcare professionals.

In total, 203 healthcare professionals (63 physicians and 140 nurses) completed the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), and the Sense of Coherence Questionnaire (SOC-13). The age, sex, and profession of the participants were recorded.

Women exhibited higher levels of perceived stress compared to males (18.450 ± 7.232 vs. 15.116 ± 5.662, t-test p < 0.05), as well as lower scores on the sense of coherence scale (57.525 ± 13.716 vs. 65.535 ± 12.481, t-test p < 0.05). No differences were observed with respect to profession. High levels of stress were recorded in 12.3% of workers and moderate values in 58.7%. The PSS demonstrated a negative correlation with both the SOC-13 and the BRS. The BRS showed a positive correlation with the SOC-13 (Pearson p < 0.01). Age showed no significant correlation. Linear regression analysis indicated that 49% of the variance in PSS was explained by SOC-13 and 3% by BRS. We subsequently investigated the hypothesis that the BRS may function as a mediator in the relationship between SOC-13 and PSS. Mediation analysis revealed that the BRS acts as a mediator in the relationship between SOC-13 and PSS. The indirect effect of BRS was statistically significant [b = -0.0770, 95% CI (-0.1312, -0.0216), p ≤ 0.01]. Furthermore, even in the presence of BRS mediation, the direct effect of SOC-13 on PSS remained significant [b = -0.2796, 95% CI (-0.3450, -0.2142), p ≤ 0.001].

High rates of stress, particularly in women healthcare professionals, appear to be intrinsically associated with the healthcare profession. It is likely that sense of coherence and psychological resilience can reduce stress, with resilience acting as a mediator.