Work Stress, Coping Strategies and Levels of Depression among Nurses Working in Mental Health Hospital in Port-Said City

Abstract

Psychiatric nurses experience wide range of stressful events, evolving from the care of violent, aggressive patients, recurrent relapse episodes and poor prognosis of mental disorders; it affects several dimensions of nurses’ life, physical and mental health. The aim of the study was to assess work stress, coping strategies and level of depression among psychiatric nurses. A descriptive correlation design was conducted on psychiatric nurses working in the mental health setting. Data were collected from 250 nurses working at mental health hospital in Port-Said city using self-report questionnaire and demographic characteristics. The results revealed that psychiatric nurses had moderate levels of work stress and depression, as well as exhibiting different coping strategies. In addition, there were statistically significant differences found in the experienced stress and depression level alongside utilized coping strategy in relation to nurse’s demographic characteristics. Stress and depression are prevalent among psychiatric nurses in their work, thus, implementing programs aim at teaching psychiatric nurses how to deal with work stressors and raise their abilities regarding coping strategies and problem solving are recommended.