Identified Coping Strategies of Assigned Nurses in the Different Facilities: Caring for COVID-19 Patients

Stress among nurses is one of the most overlooked but significant concerns that nurses deal every single day at work. There are factors that put nurses under a lot of stress. These include fears of contracting an infection while in close contact with patients, unfamiliarity with new specialized working environments and procedures, physical discomfort caused by special protection, witnessing patient suffering and death, and long-term separation from family members. Nurses could use effective coping strategies to overcome recurring stressful situations and coping strategies employed by the nurses should be identified. This study determined the level of stress and anxiety experienced by nurses caring for patients with COVID-19 in Ilocos Norte and identify the extent of practice of coping strategies used by them to ameliorate the stress and negative emotions during the COVID-19 outbreak.

A descriptive-correlational method of research was used in this study. There were 94 respondents in total, these are registered nurses, regardless of age or gender, with at least one year of experience caring for COVID-19 patients at the different quarantine facilities of the selected municipalities in the two districts of Ilocos Norte.

The results revealed that respondents experienced moderate stress related to physical stress, while much stress has been experienced related to emotional stress, lastly, respondents felt moderate stress related to psychological stress. As to coping strategies, physical, coping strategies are often used as well as emotional and psychological. There is a significant relationship between the age and the overall level of stress experienced by nurses caring for COVID-19 patients (r=-.246). Moreover, there is a significant relationship between the level of physical stress experienced by the nurses caring for COVID-19 patients and the extent of practice of physical coping strategies they employ with a computed correlation coefficient of .266, significant at the .01 probability level.