Abstract:

Stress has become a more recognized term over the past decade and is a major cause of concern for many nurses at work. The aim of this study is to assess the opinion on stress experienced by registered nurses working in a hospital, to identify coping strategies used, to assess the relationship between stress, coping mechanism of registered nurses and work experience, and identify decision making process towards stressful situations and possible health outcome.

A descriptive correlation study was used to identify sources of stress experienced by registered nurses, stress and coping, and decision making process. Simple random sampling technique was used to select fifty (50) registered nurses, using Yemane sample size. Standardized questionnaire was distributed to them. Data generated from the study were analyzed using both descriptive (percentages, mean and standard deviation) and inferential statistics (ANOVA) at 0.05 level of significance.

The findings of the study revealed that 64% of the respondents were female, while 60% working experience is between 1-5 years. The greatest perceived source of stress appears to be workload followed by emotional related issues. Registered nurses seem to be resorting to positive appraisal, and seeking social support as a coping strategies and decision making process. The most frequently reported health outcome as a result of stressful situations appears to be psychological heath implications.

Keywords: opinion, work related stress, adopted strategies, coping.

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