The Mediating Effect of Coping Strategies on the Relationship between Perceived Stress and Quality of Life in Jordanian Registered Nurses during COVID-19: Cross-correlational Study

Abstract

Background: Nurses have reported considerable levels of perceived stress during pandemics, impairing quality of life in registered nurses. Studies supported the mediating roles of some coping strategies on the correlation between perceived stress and quality of life. However, rare studies have investigated these roles among Jordanian registered nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Purpose: Mainly to examine the mediating role of coping strategies in the relationship between perceived stress and quality of life in Jordanian registered nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: A cross-sectional correlational design was used with an online survey. Convenience sampling was used to select 550 registered nurses from 8 hospitals located in Amman and Irbid cities. A demographic questionnaire, the Perceived Stress Scale, the Brief COPE inventory, and the World Health Organization-related Quality of Life scale were used to collect data. Descriptive and multiple-regression analyses were used to analyze the data collected. Results: Religion and then substance use were commonly used as coping strategies by Jordanian registered nurses. Substance abuse only mediated the relationship between stress perception and quality of life. Conclusion: Substance use only played a mediating role between perceived stress and quality of life among Jordanian registered nurses. Perceived stress and substance use should be valued as important variables for improving registered nurses' quality of life. Implications for Nursing: The results can be used by hospital administrators and decision makers as an empirical basis for planning and implementing effective coping strategies to manage nurses’ stress other than maladaptive coping strategies such as substance use.