Occupational Stress, Coping, and Outcomes among Korean Nurses: An Integrative Review Based on the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping

Background: Korean nurses face high levels of occupational stress due to staff shortages and work overload. This stress varies depending on each individual’s cognitive appraisal and coping strategies and affects both the quality of nursing care and the well-being of the nurses themselves. Therefore, this study is intended to conduct a comprehensive investigation into the cognitive appraisal, coping strategies, and occupational stress outcomes of Korean nurses.Methods: This integrative review study was based on Lazarus and Folkman’s transactional model of stress and coping. Literature published in Korean or English between March 1984 and July 2025 was reviewed using the RISS, KISS, DBpia, PubMed, and CINAHL databases.Results: Fourteen studies (13 quantitative descriptive and 1 qualitative) were analyzed regarding occupational stress and coping strategies among nurses. Three key attributes were identified: a high level of occupational stress related to various factors, the use of active and passive coping strategies, and outcomes from coping with occupational stress. No study to date has specifically examined occupational stress appraisal.Conclusions: It is important to develop strategies that help nurses actively cope with occupational stress, allowing for adaptive outcomes, rather than inefficient ones. These findings are expected to serve as foundational data for the development of occupational stress management programs. Future studies on nurses’ occupational stress will also need to include the concept of cognitive appraisal.