Relationship Between Perceived Supervisor Support and Workplace Bullying in School Nurses in Virginia

Abstract

Workplace bullying among school nurses is a significant problem with supervisors either contributing to or preventing such behavior. This study aimed to determine if support from nursing and school supervisors is associated with workplace bullying among Virginia school nurses. In this analysis of a cross-sectional survey, responses from 159 school nurses with two supervisors to the Survey of Perceived Supervisor Support and Short-Negative Acts Questionnaire were examined. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed. Findings demonstrated a significant, inverse relationship between perceived support from both supervisors and workplace bullying, accounting for 27.7% of the variance. No relationship was found between bullying and frequency of supervisor contact. The research suggests quality and not quantity of supervisor support may protect school nurses against workplace bullying.

The Impact of Workplace Bullying on Turnover Intention and Psychological Distress: The Indirect Role of Support from Supervisors

“…This result is consistent with the literature [52,[58][59][60][61][62]. Recent studies, such as that by [63], confirm this negative link between hierarchical social support and workplace bullying. Employees who feel supported by their superiors may be more resilient to workplace bullying, while a lack of support can create an environment conducive to the proliferation of bullying behaviors, psychological distress, and the intention to leave the organization.…”

“…The relationship between social support and workplace bullying has been firmly established in several studies [52,[58][59][60][61]. An empirical study conducted by [62] revealed a negative correlation between supervisor support and workplace bullying, a result confirmed by a recent study [63]. Employees who feel supported by their supervisors appear to be more resilient in the face of workplace bullying, while the lack of support can create an environment conducive to the proliferation of bullying behaviors.…”

Designing Protocol for Managing Workplace Bullying among Nurses at Selected Hospitals in Port-Said City

“…Amoo, Menlah, Garti, and Appiah (2021) pointed out that bullying in nursing is inadmissible, and shouldn't be tolerated by any person in such a profession. Thus, leadership support is significant in inhibiting workplace bullying (Sharma, Scafide, Maughan, & Dalal, 2021).…”