AIMS: This study analyses the cross-sectional effect of sources of stress during the peak of COVID-19 pandemic on nurses´ psychological distress, focusing on the mediating role of coping strategies, both problem focused and emotion focused and resilience. DESIGN: Cross-sectional and quantitative analyses. METHODS: Structural equation modelling was performed using survey data obtained during the period between 1 April-25 May 2020 in a sample of 421 nurses from 39 Spanish provinces. RESULTS: Results confirmed that: (a) All the stressors have a significant, direct, and negative relationship with nurses´ psychological distress; (b) Emotion-focused strategies is negatively related to nurses´ psychological distress directly and indirectly through resilience; and (c) Problem-focused strategies is positively related to nurses´ psychological distress and negatively and indirectly through emotion-focused strategies. CONCLUSION: This study identifies an important mediation sequence of stressors on psychological distress through the simultaneous concurrent effect of Problem-focused and Emotion-focused strategies and resilience. It shows that enacting the two coping mechanisms and resilience resources is important to achieve an adaptive effect on nurses´ mental health. IMPACT: Nurses with insufficient preparation and those with high levels of fear of contagion do not enact proper coping strategies. Thus, these nurses need special consideration due to their risk of higher vulnerability.