Healthcare workers face stressful conditions when treating patients without sufficient resources. According to the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984), workers cope with stress through problem-based and emotion-based cognitive and behavioral efforts. In a qualitative study of a behavioral health department in an urban community hospital, we identify specific behaviors and cognitive beliefs to cope with insufficient resources. We found healthcare workers identify threats in terms of a dangerous environment, financial security, and unexpected conditions without sources of assistance from external resources, internal resources, and effective management. Healthcare workers coped with this stress through problem-based coping strategies including deviant workplace behavior and justification of the system. Workers engaged in emotion-based strategies of meaningful work, behavioral justification, and disengagement. Based on our findings, we developed the Framework of Workplace Coping Efforts identifying both the method and focus of coping in response to workplace stress.
