THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN COPING STRATEGIES AND GHQ-SCORES IN NURSES

This paper discusses the development of a situation specific questionnaire for measuring coping with shiftwork. Previously, no standardized measure appears to have been developed, even though coping behaviour is considered to be an important factor in determining tolerance to shiftwork. The results from this study indicated that the present questionnaire may have some potential. Its psychometric qualities were relatively good. Coping scores were related to psychological health, measured by GHQ-12. Analysis of variance showed a main effect of only one of the subscales (disengagement strategies) on GHQ and also a reliable interaction between disengagement and engagement on GHQ-scores. Further research into the effect of coping strategies on shiftwork tolerance is suggested.