Abstract:

Stress in healthcare workers is increasingly common in recent times and among healthcare personnel it impacts both individual well-being and the quality of healthcare delivery. Individuals’ coping strategies have a profound effect on how well they respond to negative life events. Coping is a continuous, goal-directed process in which individuals consciously and unconsciously engage to adjust their cognitive and behavioural efforts to maintain personal control during specific stressful situations. This study investigated stress coping strategies among health workers in Dekina Local Government Area, Kogi State, Nigeria. Using a quantitative, cross-sectional survey design, data were collected from 97 purposively selected health personnel. The Coping Behaviour Inventory (CBI) was employed to measure stress coping mechanisms. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses including ANOVA, Kendall’s Tau-b, and Point-Biserial correlation, were used to assess patterns and relationships among variables. Results revealed that coping strategies showed less variation (mean = 2.49), suggesting a uniform adoption of coping behaviours. However, no demographic or occupational variables significantly predicted coping behaviours. Correlation analyses also indicated weak associations among variables. The findings portrayed limited influence of demographic characteristics on coping strategies. In summary, the study effectively met its general and specific objectives. It suggests targeted interventions, particularly for experienced personnel, and institutional policies that promote psychological support and resilient coping across all workforce levels. The study recommends future study on this topic domain to be geared towards discovering the solutions to ameliorate stress among senior health workers in Dekina Local Government area, Kogi State, Nigeria.

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