Effects of bullying on job insecurity and deviant behaviors in nurses: Roles of resilience and support

The present study tested a moderated mediation model in the Hospital industry of Pakistan. Extending the Conservation of Resources theory, we conducted a joint investigation of the mediating role of (a) Job Insecurity in linking Workplace Bullying with victim's deviant work behaviors and (b) the moderating roles of Resilience and Perceived Supervisor Support in influencing the mediation.

Although the direct effects of bullying on deviant work were well established, the mechanisms and the boundary conditions through which bullying triggers deviant behaviors are still unknown.

Utilizing temporally segregated field data from a sample of nurses and their fellow colleagues (n = 251 dyads), a quantitative study was conducted in Pakistani hospitals.

Results were consistent with our hypothesized moderated mediation (mod-med) framework in which workplace bullying led to deviant work behaviors in nurses via job insecurity. Moreover, this indirect effect was salient under nurses' low resilience and perceptions of supervisor support.

Based on these findings, the relationship between workplace bullying and deviant work behaviors appears to be more complex than what is commonly believed.

The findings of the present study emphasize how and why bullying at workplace (particularly nurses) generates deviant work behavior.