Longitudinal relations between abusive supervision, subordinates’ emotional exhaustion, and job neglect among Pakistani Nurses: The moderating role of self-compassion

Abstract

The main purpose of this study was to investigate reciprocal relationships between abusive supervision, subordinates’ emotional exhaustion, and job neglect, and to examine the mediating role of emotional exhaustion in the cross-lagged relationship between abusive supervision and job neglect. Besides, we tested the moderating role of self-compassion in the cross-lagged relationship between abusive supervision and emotional exhaustion. We applied a two-wave cross-lagged panel design with a time lag of six months. Participants were 331 staff nurses of public sector hospitals in Islamabad, Pakistan. Data were collected using a self-report questionnaire at two points in time. Longitudinal structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to compare nested models. Results of cross-lagged SEM analyses supported the posited reciprocal model, indicating that abusive supervision, emotional exhaustion, and job neglect are mutually related. Results of mediation analysis showed that emotional exhaustion partially mediates the cross-lagged relationship between abusive supervision and job neglect. Further, we found that self-compassion attenuates the positive cross-lagged effect of abusive supervision on emotional exhaustion, and the indirect effect of abusive supervision on job neglect was weaker at higher levels of self-compassion. Our findings suggest that subordinates may find themselves in abusive relationships, in part, because their own behavioral responses to abuse can reinforce abusive supervision. Moreover, we identified the stress-buffering effect of self-compassion on emotional exhaustion.

Abusive Supervision and Its Relationship With Nursing Workforce and Patient Safety Outcomes: A Systematic Review

“…Emotional exhaustion was found to mediate the association between abusive supervision and feedback avoidance 47 and job neglect. 42 Nurses who experienced abusive supervision were more likely to experience emotional exhaustion, which then led to avoidance of feedback and neglect of job responsibilities.…”

“…Psychological strain Shih et al 26 Significantly increased Rodwell et al 45 Significantly increased 22. Burnout Pyc et al 40 Significantly increased Malik et al 42 Significantly increased 23 13 Significantly decreased Sharif Nia et al 29 Significantly decreased engagement, and public service motivation. Turnover intention was the most frequently tested outcome and was reported in five studies.…”

“…In three studies, [35][36][37] abusive supervision was significantly but positively associated with counterproductive work behavior in nurses. In addition, abusive supervision was attributed to increased job neglect, 42 poor work performance, 40 and decreased organizational citizenship behavior. 36 Relationship-based outcomes.…”

“…Specifically, three studies highlighted the significant impact of abusive supervision on the psychological health and well-being of nurses. [24][25][26] Two studies each reported a correlation between abusive behaviors of nurse managers and increased emotional exhaustion 42,45 as well as psychological strain. 26,45 In addition, several studies found associations between abusive supervision and increased anxiety, 40 depression, 40 and mental health risks.…”

Pakistani public sector employees burning with a low blue flame: a case of expanded attribution-emotion model of workplace aggression about perceived organizational obstruction and job neglect

“…Moreover, it helps in aligning their behaviors with the attainment of their goals (DeRidder et al , 2018; Gillebaart and De Ridder, 2015). It is pertinent to mention that the current study achieved all of its aims by adopting a quantitative hypothesis testing approach via the survey method with a time-lagged design that is appropriate for measuring the selected study variables (Koçak and Kerse, 2022; Malik et al , 2022).…”