Stress and coping strategies amongst registered nurses working in a South African tertiary hospital

Abstract

A survey of the literature revealed that althougth a great deal of research has been carried out relating to stress and coping internationally, little has been written about nurses in South Africa. The aim of this study was to identify the possible causes and frequency of stress experienced by registered nurses working in a hospital, to identify the coping strategies used, to assess the relationship between stress and coping mechanisms of registered nurses, to compare stress and adopted coping strategies among registered nurses in the different units/wards, to identify the support systems that minimize stress and to address stress amongst nurses in South Africa.