Mental Health of Chinese Nurses in Hong Kong: The Roles of Nursing Stresses and Coping Strategies

Abstract

This study examined the sources of stress and mental health of nurses in Hong Kong. It also attempted to explore the functions of coping strategies in determining the stress and mental health of nurses. Results showed that more than one-third of the nurses could be considered as having poor mental health. While supervisory role produced the highest level of stress, organizational environment also created a substantial amount of stress for nurses. The most frequently used coping strategies were positive ones, including direct action coping and positive thinking. This study confirmed the hypotheses that nurses who adopted more positive and fewer negative coping strategies had better mental health, but failed to substantiate the moderating effects of coping on stress and mental health of nurses. Changes in the hospital care delivery system and socio-cultural factors in Hong Kong were put forward to explain the results. Implications of the findings and limitations of the study were discussed.