Background: Stress is an integral part of daily work for nurses, especially those who work in intensive care units (ICUs). However, chronic stress can affect nurses' mental and physical well-being, increasing their risk of burnout and decreasing the quality of care. A higher emotional intelligence (EI) level may be correlated with greater use of effective coping strategies, leading to a reduction of the adverse effects of stress.
Aim: This study aimed to examine the relationship between EI and coping strategies among adult ICU nurses in Poland.
Study design: A cross-sectional survey design was used. Current adult ICU nurses in nine Polish hospitals were invited to participate. The survey instruments used were: the Polish version of the Schutte Self-Report Emotional Intelligence Test, the Inventory to Measure Coping Strategies with Stress (Brief-COPE), and a self-constructed questionnaire.
Results: 114/543 (21%) nurses completed the survey. ICU nurses showed an average level of EI (70.2%). The main stress coping strategies were active coping and planning, the rarest being substance use, behavioural disengagement, and denial. For nurses with a higher EI level, the most frequently used strategies included positive reframing (R = 0.43; p < .001), active coping (R = 0.38; p < .001), planning (R = 0.37; p < .001) and religion (R = 0.25; p = .006). Nurses were less likely to utilize strategies of behavioural disengagement (R = -0.32; p = .001) and self-blame (R = -0.40; p < .001).
Conclusions: EI may have an impact on coping strategies, as a higher EI level was correlated with the greater use of effective coping strategies in ICU nurses.
Relevance to clinical practice: Training in coping with stress and increasing EI may have a positive impact on reducing the risk of burnout in nurses and thus improving the quality of care delivered.
Keywords: coping strategies; emotional intelligence; intensive care unit (ICU); nurses; stress.
© 2022 British Association of Critical Care Nurses.