Stress and coping among hospice nurses: test of an analytic model

Nursing is a profession with high levels of occupational stress, especially for those employed in hospice settings. This study considered the stressors, mediators, and adaptations evident among 100 hospice nurses from 20 facilities. The research tested an analytic model of stress that included social and predisposing conditioning factors, stress appraisals, coping strategies, social resources, and adaptive status. Entered as sets in a hierarchical regression analysis, stress appraisals and coping strategies proved to be the best predictors of adaptive status. Social resources exerted a more indirect influence.