The use of coping strategies by patients and their impact on stress management

Abstract

Objective: to assess the effect of Coping strategies on the stress of hospitalized patients with Covid. Methods: Three data collection instruments were used, initially and after 30 days of patient discharge. A questionnaire was applied to characterize the participants, after that the Portuguese version of the Perceived Stress Scale and the Folkmann and Lazarus’ Coping Strategies Inventory was used. The hospitalized patients were provided with guidelines on the use of coping strategies. Results: After guidance on the use of coping strategies, patients began to use them and also reduced the perception of stress. Conclusion: The application of coping strategies in patients with Covid-19 at the time of hospitalization contributed in a unique way to their recovery, significantly modifying stress, enabling anxiety management during the hospitalization period and possibly contributing to an abbreviation of the hospitalization period.