title: Nurses in cancer care--coping strategies when encountering existential issues.
abstract: This paper is a presentation of general/secular coping strategies and strategies related to the caritas orientation that nurses in cancer care use when encountering stress. As a concept, caritas indicates the will to do good. The paper tries to provide an answer to the question of which functional and dysfunctional coping strategies nurses use when coping with work-related stress. The study is qualitative and hypothesis-generating. The material analysed consists of 15 interviews with Swedish registered nurses and is based on a life-story approach. Pargament's coping theory related to the psychology of religion has been applied for interpretation purposes. The nurses use several coping strategies with the dominant strategy being a general boundary demarcation. Other strategies that were used for coping included emotional outlets, caritas--oblivion and periodically changing activity. The strategies can be used in a functional or dysfunctional way; e.g. dysfunctional coping was present when there was a lack of human support and boundary demarcation.
authors.affiliation: Stockholm School of Theology, Akeshovsvägen 29, 168 39 Bromma, Sweden.
authors.forename: Marieanne
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Ekedahl
authors.forename: Yvonne
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wengström
mesh_terms: D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002055:Burnout, Professional / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000523:psychology; D004645:Empathy; D005086:Existentialism / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D033262:Narration; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology; D009723:Nurse-Patient Relations; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D009740:Nursing Staff / Q000523:psychology*; D009859:Oncology Nursing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011998:Recreation / Q000523:psychology; D012648:Self Care / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000523:psychology*