Workplace bullying and different levels of post-traumatic stress symptoms of nurses: A quantile regression approach for effective coping strategies

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to investigate effects of workplace bullying on different post-traumatic stress symptoms and coping among hospital nurses.

Background: Workplace bullying is a traumatic event that negatively affects the quality of patient care and nurses' mental health.

Method: This cross-sectional, correlational study used an online survey among hospital nurses. Ordinary least square and quantile regression analyses were conducted using Stata version 16.

Results: The study included 233 registered nurses from South Korea who had provided direct care to patients in a hospital for at least 6 months. Overall, 28% self-identified as victims or witnesses and 37% as victims and witnesses simultaneously. 'Victim' and 'passive coping' were significantly associated with the 25th, 50th and 75th percentiles groups of post-traumatic stress symptoms, while 'witness' was significant in the 95th percentile group.

Conclusion: Our study findings explore nurses' workplace bullying, detect high-risk subgroups and suggest the development of coping interventions for reducing workplace bullying and post-traumatic stress symptoms.

Implications for nursing management: The study identified associations among bullying experience types, severity of post-traumatic stress symptoms and passive coping. It is critical to explore traumatic experience types and severity of post-traumatic stress symptoms for nurses at risk of workplace bullying.