Coping Strategies of Nurses Caring for Covid-19 Patients: A Descriptive Phenomenology Study

Abstract

Nurses are front-liners and the core team in caring for COVID-19 patients. Since the disease is highly contagious and life-threatening in some cases, with no specific medications and uncertain efficacy of vaccines, the emotional responses of nurses might be significantly impacted on a certain level. The study intended to explore the coping strategies of nurses caring for COVID-19 patients in a private hospital in Indonesia with Husserl’s phenomenological perspective as philosophical underpinning. A total of five informants were selected by consecutive sampling techniques and ceased when data saturation reached. An in-depth interview was then conducted, and a transcript generated by Colaizzi’s phenomenological data analysis revealed three themes of coping strategies of nurses caring for COVID-19 patients, including spiritual coping (categories: praying and listening to religious songs); seeking help (categories: accepting the schedule and full support from the family); and self-controlling (categories: not to cry and not to be sad). All were positive coping strategies, and thus, there is hope to win in an emotional battle with the fear and anxiety resulting in caring for COVID-19 patients. It is recommended for hospital administrators to develop strategies in enhancing spiritual, help-seeking, and self-controlling coping skills to their workers, while for nursing educators, encouragement could be offered to nursing students to be informed of how their seniors cope with the situation providing care for COVID-19 patients. Further study may focus on the best coping strategies in an experimental approach.

Keywords: caring, coping strategies, COVID-19, nurses