"High-stress, conscientiousness and positive coping": correlation analysis of personality traits, coping style and stress load among obstetrics and gynecology female nurses and midwives in twenty-one public hospitals in Southern China.

Abstract

Background: The long-term occupational stress experienced by nurses and midwives in obstetrics and gynecology department not only impacts their mental well-being, but also poses a threat to nursing safety and sleep quality of nursing staff. Personality traits and stress coping strategies are believed to play a crucial and distinctive role in regulating stress. It is of great importance to discover effective methods for managing the occupational stress faced by nurses and midwives in obstetrics and gynecology. The study aims to identify the characteristic of stress load, personality and coping style among obstetrics and gynecology nurses and midwives, explore variations in stress levels based on their individual personality traits, and compare different levels of event load and individual vulnerability across various personality domains.

Methods: A cross-section study was conducted from February 2023 to March 2023, and a stratified sampling method was used to select 424 obstetric and gynecological nurses. The survey was conducted using the General Information Questionnaire, the Chinese Big Five Personality Questionnaire, the Trait Coping Style Questionnaire, and the Chinese version of the Stress Overload Scale.

Results: High stress of stress risk, conscientiousness and positive coping were the main characteristics of obstetrics and gynecology nurses and midwives. The stress-load was at a medium level, with an average score of (65.30 ± 17.27) points. There were statistically significant differences in stress-load among nurses with different marital status, hospital level, family occupational support and work motivation (p < 0.05). There was a significant positive correlation among neuroticism, negative coping, and event load. (p < 0.01). While conscientiousness, agreeableness, openness, extroversion and positive coping showed positive correlations (p < 0.05).

Discussion: Based on our findings and the existing literature, we have so suggestions to relieve the stress-load of obstetrics and gynecology nurses and midwives: (1) improve social support and family support; (2) increase the application of intelligent technology appropriately; (3) improve midwifery models; (4) provide positive psychology training; (5) take advantage of the positive interaction between individual and situations.

Conclusion and implications for nursing and midwife policy: Nursing and midwife managers should strengthen care for nurses and midwives with significant neurotic personality, adopt flexible or magnetic management, improve midwifery models and elevate the dominant role of midwives in childbirth processes. Importantly, they should enhance group or individual psychological intervention to encourage a positive attitude towards stressors and foster the development of positive personalities.