Much work has been done towards the classification of clinical concepts
in nursing. However, there is a comparative lack of analysis of non-technical
terms, which nevertheless bear closely on professional practice in nursing. Within
nursing classifications, the term ‘coping’ functions as an element in more complex
conceptual structures, the term itself being left relatively undefined. The case is
similar for the term ‘stress’ – the set of circumstances with which the individual is
attempting to cope.