Coping Strategies as Predictors of Perceived Stress among Nursing Staff in Critical Care Units in Pakistan

This study aimed to investigate the predictive association of coping strategies (i.e., problem-focused, emotion-focused, and avoidance-focused) with the perceived stress among nursing staff in critical units in Pakistan. Nursing staff from critical care units were recruited from tertiary hospitals in Karachi through purposive sampling. They were aged between 20 and 45 years. The Brief Cope Scale and Perceived Stress Scale were used for the data collection. Findings indicate that coping strategies significantly predicted perceived stress among nurses working in critical care units. Emotion-focused coping emerged as the strongest predictor of perceived stress. Similarly, problem-focused coping also showed a significant association with perceived stress, indicating that greater reliance on problem-focused coping predicted increased perceived stress. Furthermore, avoidant coping demonstrated a significant positive relationship with perceived stress. Results underscore the significant and crucial role of coping strategies among nurses in critical care units. Findings reflect that coping is not uniformly adaptive, and the context of the settings could limit the effectiveness of problem-focused solutions. This suggests that how nurses cope substantially influences their stress levels in demanding healthcare settings, highlighting the importance of targeted interventions.