Introduction. Stress was defined by the World Health Organization WHO as a disease of modern civilization. Permanent technology development and the mental changes in society enforce personal development and skills improvement, which is the cause of many stressful situations that not everyone can cope with. Stress disturbs mental balance, limits ability to work and social functioning, which negatively affects quality and effectiveness of the job duties. Aim of the study. The aim of the study was to identify stressors, assess the level of stress experienced and explore the most common ways of coping with stress among nurses, depending on factors such as gender, education and work experience. Material and Methods. The study group consisted of 157 professional nurses from the province of Silesia. The study was conducted by anonymous questionnaire survey and two psychological tests such as PSS 10 and MiniCope. Results. The level of occupational stress in surveyed group were high. The main stressors were the death of the patient as well as remuneration for work. The most common ways for coping with stress among nurses were active coping and planning. Conclusions. (1) Nursing has been identified as an occupation that has high levels of stress (2) Education and seniority significantly differentiate the frequency of application of the ways of coping with stress, particularly in case of techniques focusing on a problem and avoidance strategies (3) Due to the growing problem of exposure to stress, it is necessary to popularize information on coping with stress.

Key words: stress, nurses, coping with stress, PSS 10, MiniCope.