Bullying experience and the work environment in nurses: A cross‐sectional data analysis

Abstract

Aims This study aimed to examine the degree and severity of workplace bullying in nurses and to assess the relationship between bullying and work environment factors. Background Workplace bullying occurs in nursing at an alarming rate and may escalate with more adverse working conditions. Methods Online survey data from a nationally representative sample of 1,170 U.S. registered nurses, collected between 2020 and 2021, were analysed. Five items measuring workplace bullying were used to identify bullying subgroups (unbullied, bullied but unrecognized, moderate bullying and severe bullying) using latent profile analysis. Ordinal logistic regression examined relationships between workplace factors and bullying. Results Over 40% of nurses reported being bullied in the past year. Four bullying subgroups were distinguished. Inadequate staffing, lack of time to get the job done and lack of breaks away from the work area were all significantly associated with severe bullying. Conclusion Ensuring adequate staffing based on patient needs and nurse competency can mitigate workplace bullying in nurses. Further studies are needed to examine the effectiveness of stress reduction programmes on bullying using longitudinal designs. Implications for Nursing Management This result indicates a critical need to improve nursing work environments, which could provide many benefits for nursing workforces, including potential to lessen bullying severity that adversely affects nurse well‐being.

Association between Workplace Bullying, Job Stress, and Professional Quality of Life in Nurses: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

“…As the work environment of nurses is associated with the occurrence of bullying, this finding can be interpreted through the shaping of nurses’ work environments in recent years. Regarding the occurrence of bullying, the main organizational and workplace factors that predict its occurrence include inadequate staffing, lack of time to get the job done, lack of breaks away from the work, workload, and autocratic, unsupportive, and disengaged leadership [ 86 , 87 ]. Recently, the impact of the pandemic on health systems has created particularly challenging working conditions, favorable to the evolution of the phenomenon of bullying [ 88 , 89 ], as well as reduced job and compassion satisfaction [ 90 , 91 , 92 ].…”

Bullied: Exploring the concepts of territorialism and groupthink involvement in workplace bullying

“…Unfortunately, this creates an uncivil working environment where affected persons can feel isolated, with limited or no voice over their practice, thus leading to potential compromised patient care (Baek & Trinkoff, 2022 ; Shorey & Wong, 2021 ). Moreover, groupthink promotes unawareness of current healthcare practice that deviates from today's health care needs in an already challenged industry (Carlson, n.d. ) and places patients at risk for harm by unintentional medical error(s) (American Nurses Association, 2015 ).…”