The relationship between coping strategies and sense of coherence in nurses

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship between coping strategies and sense of coherence in staff nurses. The purposes of this study were to describe the coping strategies used by nurses to manage a stressful work-related event,-to ascertain their level of sense of coherence, and to examine the relationship between the level of sense of coherence and coping strategies (problem-focused or emotion-focused). A correlational design was utilized to test the hypotheses that sense of coherence was positively correlated with problemfocused coping and negatively correlated with emotion-focused coping. A sample of 130 nurses responded to two questionnaires, the Sense of Coherence Scale and the Revised Ways of Coping Checklist. Pearson product-moment correlations indicated a significant positive relationship between sense of coherence and problem-focused coping, and significant negative relationships between sense of coherence and blames self, avoidance, and wishful thinking coping. The proposed positive relationship between the variables sense of coherence and seeks social support was not supported.