Coping with Workplace Bullying: Strategies Employed by Nurses in the Healthcare Setting

Abstract

Purpose. As regards nursing professionals, workplace bullying is characterized by a set of repeated and banalized negative behaviors carried out by the aggressors that have more power than victims. Such behaviors adversely affect both the victims and the healthcare institutions where the events occur. Upon repeated exposure to workplace bullying, the victims use coping strategies to modify their work environment and adapt to the aggressor, as they try to reduce the discomfort caused by the bullying behavior. The present work aims to describe the psychometric characteristics of the NAQ-R (Negative Act Questionnaire-Revised) and COPE (COPE Inventory) assessment instruments. In addition, it aims to assess the coping strategies employed by nurses who were victims of workplace bullying. Methods. This study is quantitative, descriptive, correlational, and cross-sectional in nature. Data were collected through a digital survey which consisted of sociodemographic and professional components. The NAQ-R and COPE scales were used to evaluate these components. The study included a total of 2015 Portuguese nurses in the sample. Results. Talking to coworkers and confronting the aggressors were the main strategies adopted by nurses who experienced bullying behaviors at work. Also, based on the first and third evaluation criteria, nurses who faced workplace bullying presented a higher average value of “support seeking” and “substance use” and resorted more to “evasion” when compared to those who had not been bullied. Based on the second assessment criterion, nurses who endured workplace bullying resorted more to “evasion” and “substance use” and exhibited less “acceptance.” Conclusions. When confronted with workplace bullying, nurses predominantly chose negative coping strategies and, in their majority, nurses had not received training on that topic. In this regard, nurses’ training is considered important, so as to encourage the use of positive coping strategies that minimize the negative effects of the phenomenon.

Impact of Workplace Bullying on Quiet Quitting in Nurses: The Mediating Effect of Coping Strategies

“…The results of the present study showed that nurses choose more positive bullying management strategies compared to negative ones. These findings are consistent with those of other studies, where positive strategies also scored higher [19,20]. However, studies show that there is great diversity in the bullying coping strategies chosen by nurses.…”

“…In the case of bullying incidents, the reaction of the victim is crucial, especially the reaction of their management. Studies show that nurses use both positive and negative management strategies [18][19][20]. The positive ones include being problem-focused, seeking social support, and having crucial conversations.…”

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

“…The implementation of training programs, cognitive rehearsal programs, and educational programs can reduce the impact of bullying on nurses in the workplace [ 95 ]. The need to educate nurses regarding the management of bullying is highlighted by the fact that often nurses choose negative coping strategies, such as avoidance, resorting to substance use, and exhibiting lower levels of acceptance, as their primary coping mechanisms [ 96 ]. When nurses use positive coping strategies and resilience, the impact of bullying on the quality of their work life is mediated [ 32 , 56 ].…”

Consequences and coping strategies of nurses and registered nurses perceiving to work in an environment characterized by workplace bullying

“…Coping is characterized by a set of behavioral responses, exhibited by individuals facing stressful situations, which enables them to modify the surrounding environment and adapt to the stress-causing agent, with the intent of reducing discomfort. In this sense, it can be stated that coping allows reducing negative reactions to a given situation [ 33 ], thus acting as a defense mechanism, or, more specifically, as a stable and unconscious mental process used to manage internal and/or external conflicts. Studies indicate high levels of distrust in organisational procedures, which leads to unreported the misconducts (see [ 34 , 35 ]).…”

“…Studies indicate high levels of distrust in organisational procedures, which leads to unreported the misconducts (see [ 34 , 35 ]). Joao and Portelada [ 33 ] found that among the actions taken by nurses who suffered from workplace bullying (n = 679), the following were most frequently mentioned: telling colleagues (34.2%) what happened, confronting the perpetrator (33.1%), and ignoring the perpetrator (25.1%). 12.6% of nurses stated that they were unable to do anything about the perpetrator or did not feel able to do anything about it.…”