Abstract / Description
The COVID-19 pandemic placed unprecedented pressure on healthcare systems and frontline professionals, particularly nurses, highlighting the importance of understanding their emotional experiences and coping strategies. This study aimed to explore the emotional experiences and coping strategies of nursing professionals during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic in a Spanish regional healthcare setting. A qualitative descriptive phenomenological study was conducted in 2020. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and written narratives from 36 nursing professionals working in the Riojan Health Service. Three main themes emerged: perceived emotions, stressors, and coping strategies. Nurses reported intense feelings of fear, uncertainty, and frustration, which negatively impacted their mental health and hindered emotional regulation and decision-making. Key stressors included high workload, lack of resources, constant exposure to risk, and rapidly changing clinical situations. Despite these challenges, participants described various coping strategies, such as peer support, professional commitment, and adaptive emotional responses, which helped them manage the situation. The findings describe the emotional impact experienced by nursing professionals during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic and identify coping strategies used in a specific regional healthcare context in Spain.