Association of Workplace Bullying with Suicide Ideation and Attempt Among Chinese Nurses During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Nurses experience a high incidence of workplace bullying and are at a higher risk of suicide than the general population. However, there is no empirical evidence on how exposure to workplace bullying is associated with suicide ideation and attempts among nurses. Nurses were recruited from tertiary hospitals in Shandong Province, China, using stratified cluster sampling. Suicide ideation and attempts were assessed using two items, and the Workplace Psychologically Violent Behaviors Instrument was used to measure subtypes of workplace bullying. The prevalence of workplace bullying, suicide ideation, and suicide attempts was 30.6%, 16.8%, and 10.8%, respectively. After adjusting for covariates, victims of workplace bullying were at a high risk of suicide ideation and attempts. Among workplace bullying subtypes, individuals’ isolation from work and direct negative behaviors were predictors of both suicide ideation and attempts; attack on personality only predicted suicide attempts. The more bullying subtypes experienced by nurses, the greater their likelihood of suicide ideation and attempts. These findings suggested that workplace bullying was associated with an increased risk of suicide ideation and attempts in nurses, with both independent and cumulative risks. Interventions should focus on prevention and managing the effects of workplace bullying among nurses.

Suicidality and Its Association with Stigma in Clinically Stable Patients with Schizophrenia in Rural China

“…In this study, we found that social isolation, one of the four subscales of morbidity stigma, was an independent risk factor for suicidality risk after excluding confounding factors, supporting earlier research. 37 Determining the risk of those who exhibit suicidal ideation, attempt suicide, or engage in self-harm activity requires taking into account one's experience of solitude; 38 3) Research has also shown that insight is a double-edged sword, although high insight can make patients aware of the symptoms of their illness, at the same time, it can make patients with schizophrenia feel stigmatized, 39,40 studies have shown that self-stigmatization mediates the relationship between insight and psychosocial outcomes in people with schizophrenia. Consequently, lowering self-stigma might aid in attenuating some of the negative effects of high insight on psychosocial outcomes in patients with schizophrenia, 40 In addition, we found a number of demographic characteristics in our study that were also associated with suicidality among the participants.…”

Association of workplace bullying and burnout with nurses’ suicidal ideation in Bangladesh

“…The interpersonal theory of suicide (IPTS) suggests that workplace bullying can contribute to suicidal thoughts through two key factors: “thwarted belongingness” (feeling socially isolated) and “perceived burdensomeness” (believing one is a burden on others with little hope of improvement) 10 , 11 . Bullying has been reported to be associated with nurses’ suicidal ideation, suicidal attempts, and their suicide 12 . Numerous studies reported workplace bullying among nurses, which occurs primarily as a result of the authority's aggressive, violent, and frightening behavior or insulting behaviours by colleagues that make them feel irritated, humiliated, and threatened; thereby, their mental health is supposed to have deteriorated 13 , 14 .…”

“…Numerous studies reported workplace bullying among nurses, which occurs primarily as a result of the authority's aggressive, violent, and frightening behavior or insulting behaviours by colleagues that make them feel irritated, humiliated, and threatened; thereby, their mental health is supposed to have deteriorated 13 , 14 . According to a study, bullying among nurses is a fairly common occurrence that harms both nurses and patients 12 . It has been reported that the risk of patient death in clinical settings is significantly associated with bullying against nurses 15 .…”