Coping strategies of intensive care and nonintensive care pediatric nurses in response to situational and environmental stressors

The purpose of this study was to identify coping behaviors which enabled pediatric intensive care and nonintensive care nurses to cope effectively with stress as evidenced by a low degree of burnout. A nonexperimental cross-sectional explanatory survey was used to identify specific types of coping behaviors used by pediatric nurses and burnout levels. In addition, the study was designed to determine what characteristics are predictive of burnout. A nonprobability sample of 41 intensive care and 33 nonintensive care nurses participated in the study. Subjects completed a personal information sheet, Blake's Coping Scale, and Maslach's Burnout Inventory. Data were analyzed by descriptive statistics, one-way analysis of variance, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and multiple regression analysis. There was no significant ($p\le$.05) difference in coping strategies and burnout levels for intensive care pediatric nurses s compared to nonintensive care pediatric nurses. A significant ($p\le$.05) correlation was found between basic nursing educational level and coping subscale scores for emotional avoidance and emotional response. Of the 16 nurses in the study who met the criteria for low degree of burnout, 14 used rational action as their coping strategy. The overall sample used professionalism as their coping strategy. The most frequently used ineffective coping strategy was fantasized action. Time of employment on present unit was found to be the demographic variable which best predicted burnout levels in this study.