Relationship of Identity Styles and Coping Strategies With Marital Adjustment in Nurses

Nursing profession is a stressful job. Nurses need to use appropriate coping strategies to maintain their focus on patient care and having marital adjustment and solving personal problems. The relationship between nurses’ identity styles with their used coping strategies and marital adjustment is not clear yet. Therefore, this study aims to determine the relationship of identity styles and coping strategies with marital adjustment in nurses.

This descriptive correlational study with cross-sectional design was conducted on 221 married nurses working in public hospitals in Rasht, Iran who were selected by a stratified random sampling method. Data were collected using the Billings and Moos’ coping responses inventory (CRI), Berzonsky’s identity styles inventory (ISI), and Locke-Wallace marital adjustment test (MAT). Data were analyzed in SPSS software, version 23.

The mean MAT score was 111.68 ±11.97. The mean ISI score was 100.31±12.27. The mean CRI score was 38.58±7.25. Marital adjustment had a significant correlation with informational (r=0.14, P=0.03) and normative (r=-0.17, P=0.01) identity styles and problem-focused coping strategy (r=-0.15, P=0.03). Multiple regression analysis showed that only identity styles and working hours could explain 20% of changes in marital adjustment of nurses.

The marital adjustment of married nurses in Rasht, Iran is at a favorable level. Their informational and normative identity styles and working hours can predict their marital adjustment.