Mediating effects of positive coping styles among oncology nurses between psychological resilience and professional grief: a cross-sectional study

BACKGROUND: Nurses‘ professional grief is a series of grief reactions that nurses experience as a result of the death of a patient under their care during the course of their work, and this behaviour can have a serious impact on nurses’ mental health and work status. There is a lack of systematic research on the relationship between psychological resilience, coping styles and professional grief. This study examines the relationship between psychological resilience and professional grief among oncology nurses and the mechanisms by which coping styles play a role. METHODS: A questionnaire survey was conducted among 540 oncology nurses in five tertiary-level hospitals in Sichuan Province from November 2024 to January 2025 using purposive sampling. The questionnaire included psychological resilience (MeRS), coping styles (SCSQ), and professional sadness (GSSN). RESULTS: A total of 518 valid questionnaires were returned, with a validity rate of 95.9%. The results of this study showed that psychological resilience had a significant direct effect on professional grief (β= -0.545, CI [-0.395, -0.302]). In addition, psychological resilience had a significant positive effect on positive coping styles (β= 0.570, CI [0.194, 0.249]). There was a significant effect of positive coping styles on professional grief (β= -0.337, CI [-0.693, -0.418]). Further, psychological resilience had a statistically significant effect on professional grief, i.e., including the mediating variable (β= -0.353, CI [-0.279, -0.173]). Positive coping styles partially mediated the relationship between psychological resilience and professional grief among oncology nurses, with a mediation effect value of 0.192 and a mediation effect of 35.23% of the total effect. CONCLUSION: Positive coping styles partially mediate the relationship between psychological resilience and professional grief in oncology nurses. The hospital administrators should target interventions to promote the mental health of oncology nurses to reduce the incidence of professional grief.