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

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.

Workplace bullying occurs in nursing at an alarming rate and may escalate with more adverse working conditions.

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.

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.

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.

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.