Bullying in Nursing Students: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Workplace Violence
• Healthcare Professional Well-being

Background:

• Workplace violence in nursing settings has been historically documented using various terms.
• The term "bullying" is now widely accepted to encompass these experiences.
• Understanding bullying among nursing students is crucial for their professional development and retention.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence and characteristics of bullying experienced by nursing students.
• To analyze the association between bullying prevalence and socio-demographic factors.
• To provide data supporting the need for anti-bullying interventions in nursing programs.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive, observational, quantitative, cross-sectional study design was employed.
• Data were collected from nursing students between 2017 and 2020.
• The Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised (NAQ-R) was used to assess bullying, alongside socio-demographic variables.

Main Results:

• A high prevalence of perceived bullying, 92%, was detected among 411 nursing students.
• Common bullying tactics included mandated tasks below competence (66.3%), task changes (60%), ignored opinions (52%), and excessive supervision (49%).
• Bullying prevalence exceeded 90% at the University of Oviedo.

Conclusions:

• The prevalence of bullying among nursing students is alarmingly high, exceeding 90%.
• Urgent institutional, political, and organizational interventions are necessary to combat bullying in nursing education.
• Addressing bullying is critical for fostering a supportive learning environment and ensuring the future nursing workforce.