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May 13, 2026Healthcare0 citationsOpen Access

Stress, Resilience, and Sense of Coherence in Healthcare Professionals

APArgyro Pachi CSChristos Sikaras DLDimitra Lekka

Key Points

The study aims to explore the relationship between stress, psychological resilience, and sense of coherence in healthcare professionals.
203 healthcare professionals completed the Perceived Stress Scale, Brief Resilience Scale, and Sense of Coherence Questionnaire.
Participants included 63 physicians and 140 nurses, with age, sex, and profession recorded.
Linear regression and mediation analysis were conducted to examine correlations and effects.
Women reported higher stress levels (18.450 vs. 15.116, p < 0.05) and lower coherence scores (57.525 vs. 65.535, p < 0.05).
Perceived Stress Scale negatively correlated with Sense of Coherence and Brief Resilience Scale; resilience positively correlated with coherence (p < 0.01).
Mediation analysis showed resilience mediated the relationship between coherence and stress, with significant indirect effects ([b = −0.0770], p ≤ 0.01).

Abstract

Background: Among healthcare personnel, longitudinal studies have shown high levels of stress before, during and after the pandemic. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between stress, psychological resilience, and sense of coherence in healthcare professionals. Subjects and Methods: In total, 203 healthcare professionals (63 physicians and 140 nurses) completed the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS), and the Sense of Coherence Questionnaire (SOC-13). The age, sex, and profession of the participants were recorded. Results: Women exhibited higher levels of perceived stress compared to males (18.450 ± 7.232 vs. 15.116 ± 5.662, t-test p < 0.05), as well as lower scores on the sense of coherence scale (57.525 ± 13.716 vs. 65.535 ± 12.481, t-test p < 0.05). No differences were observed with respect to profession. High levels of stress were recorded in 12.3% of workers and moderate values in 58.7%. The PSS demonstrated a negative correlation with both the SOC-13 and the BRS. The BRS showed a positive correlation with the SOC-13 (Pearson p < 0.01). Age showed no significant correlation. Linear regression analysis indicated that 49% of the variance in PSS was explained by SOC-13 and 3% by BRS. We subsequently investigated the hypothesis that the BRS may function as a mediator in the relationship between SOC-13 and PSS. Mediation analysis revealed that the BRS acts as a mediator in the relationship between SOC-13 and PSS. The indirect effect of BRS was statistically significant b = −0.0770, 95% CI (−0.1312, −0.0216), p ≤ 0.01. Furthermore, even in the presence of BRS mediation, the direct effect of SOC-13 on PSS remained significant b = −0.2796, 95% CI (−0.3450, −0.2142), p ≤ 0.001. Conclusion: High rates of stress, particularly in women healthcare professionals, appear to be intrinsically associated with the healthcare profession. It is likely that sense of coherence and psychological resilience can reduce stress, with resilience acting as a mediator.

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