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Public Sector Nurses' Experiences of Stress and Coping During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study in the Western Cape, South Africa
Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2026.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
2026
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| _version_ | 1867613917864263680 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Janse Van Vuuren, Marnus |
| author2 | Coetzee, Bronwyne |
| author_browse | Coetzee, Bronwyne Janse Van Vuuren, Marnus |
| author_facet | Coetzee, Bronwyne Janse Van Vuuren, Marnus |
| author_sort | Janse Van Vuuren, Marnus |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | Stellenbosch University |
| description | Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2026. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/136092 |
| institution | Stellenbosch University (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:43:46.104Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| publisher | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| publisherStr | Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | SUNScholar — Stellenbosch University Repository |
| spelling | oai:scholar.sun.ac.za:10019.1/136092 Public Sector Nurses' Experiences of Stress and Coping During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study in the Western Cape, South Africa Janse Van Vuuren, Marnus Coetzee, Bronwyne Kagee, Ashraf Stellenbosch University. Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. Dept. of Psychology. Thesis (MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2026. Janse Van Vuuren, M. 2026. Public Sector Nurses' Experiences of Stress and Coping During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study in the Western Cape, South Africa. Unpublished masters thesis. Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University [online]. Available: https://scholar.sun.ac.za/items/70f898f9-cf72-468c-a999-d28f951f3d83 The COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted healthcare systems globally. The South African public healthcare system, already operating under staff shortages and severe resource constraints, was particularly impacted. Furthermore, South Africa experienced the highest number of COVID-19 cases in Africa. South African public sector healthcare workers were thus faced with high patient loads, whilst working in conditions of uncertainty and constraint. Nurses, the largest group within this workforce, bore the brunt of these pressures as they provided frontline care, often in the absence of adequate personal protective equipment and institutional and psychological support. Coping, the process of managing stress, is essential for nurses' psychological wellbeing during public healthcare crises. While numerous international studies have investigated stress and coping among nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic, the South African literature remains comparatively sparse, often aggregating nurses with other healthcare workers or combing public- and private-sector experiences, potentially obscuring the unique stressors and coping experiences of public-sector nurses. Moreover, there is a notable lack of qualitative research on the COVID-19-specific coping experiences of South African nurses in the public sector. This qualitative, exploratory-descriptive study explored the experiences of stress and coping among South African nurses who worked at a public sector hospital in the Western Cape during the COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 20 nurses were purposively sampled and participated in semi-structured interviews which were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The analysis was predominantly inductive, with the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping informing interpretation rather than directing coding. The findings revealed prominent stressors, including fear of infection, unmanageable workloads, witnessing suffering and death, and experiences of moral distress. Participants’ narratives mainly reflected primary appraisals of threat and harm, whilst resource constraints and inadequate institutional support often informed secondary appraisals of limited control/agency. Participants described engaging in a variety of interrelated, context-dependent problem-focused, emotion-focused, and meaning-focused coping behaviours. Problem-focused strategies (e.g. planning, information-seeking, following infection prevention protocols), mainly used in response to fears about infection, were employed when participants felt they had some control. Emotion-focused coping strategies (e.g. social support, acceptance, humour) and meaning-focused strategies (e.g. finding purpose in the nursing role, reframing challenge as growth, storytelling) were more prominent in participants’ accounts, especially when control was limited and uncertainty was high. Faith and spirituality were central to emotion and meaning-focused behaviours, helping participants manage negative emotions, make sense of suffering, and endure uncertainty. Participants’ emphasis on emotion- and meaning-focused coping aligns with the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping, as these strategies were often used in response to stressors appraised as highly threatening and uncontrollable. Findings highlight the need for investment in public healthcare to improve staffing and resource access. Organisational interventions should incorporate peer reflection and ongoing psychological support, normalising these as routine practice. Coping should be recognised as a core nursing skill that can be strengthened through education and leadership. These insights underscore the importance of shifting from individualised notions of resilience to systemic responsibility and collective care to sustain the nursing workforce in future health crises. Masters 2026-04-22T09:04:10Z 2026-04-22T09:04:10Z 2026-03 Thesis https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/136092 en Stellenbosch University 150 pages application/pdf Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University |
| spellingShingle | Janse Van Vuuren, Marnus Public Sector Nurses' Experiences of Stress and Coping During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study in the Western Cape, South Africa |
| title | Public Sector Nurses' Experiences of Stress and Coping During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study in the Western Cape, South Africa |
| title_full | Public Sector Nurses' Experiences of Stress and Coping During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study in the Western Cape, South Africa |
| title_fullStr | Public Sector Nurses' Experiences of Stress and Coping During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study in the Western Cape, South Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | Public Sector Nurses' Experiences of Stress and Coping During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study in the Western Cape, South Africa |
| title_short | Public Sector Nurses' Experiences of Stress and Coping During the Covid-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study in the Western Cape, South Africa |
| title_sort | public sector nurses experiences of stress and coping during the covid 19 pandemic a qualitative study in the western cape south africa |
| url | https://scholar.sun.ac.za/handle/10019.1/136092 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT jansevanvuurenmarnus publicsectornursesexperiencesofstressandcopingduringthecovid19pandemicaqualitativestudyinthewesterncapesouthafrica |