“PSYCHOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVES ON WORKPLACE BULLYING AND ITS INFLUENCE ON NURSING PERFORMANCE” A CROSS-SECTIONAL STUDY

Abstract

Background: Bullying at the work place constitutes a common source of work-related stress that has been shown to have a significant association with the impacts of nursing practice. This research will investigate the issue of work-related bullying among nurses within Pakistani tertiary care hospitals.

Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional study was conducted among 310 registered nurses in public and private hospitals. Participants were selected using simple random sampling. Data were collected through a structured self-administered questionnaire including socio-demographic information, the Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised (NAQ-R), and measures of patient care quality and intention to leave. Descriptive statistics, Pearson correlations, and multivariate linear regression were performed using SPSS.

Results: Nurses reported moderate workplace bullying (NAQ-R 34.7 ± 9.8), with person- and work-related bullying more common than physical intimidation. They also experienced moderate stress (21.4 ± 5.7), emotional exhaustion (22.1 ± 6.2), and psychological well-being (68.5 ± 11.3). Job satisfaction was moderate (68.2 ± 10.5), intention to leave moderate (3.1 ± 1.2), and perceived patient care quality moderate–high (75.4 ± 9.8). Workplace bullying increases nurses’ stress, emotional exhaustion, turnover intentions, and reduces job satisfaction and patient care quality. Moreover work-related bullying drives emotional exhaustion, person-related bullying lowers job satisfaction, and overall psychological well-being indirectly influences care quality.

Conclusion: The study concluded that bullying in the workplace was prevalent within nursing circles in Pakistan. Factors related to bullying in the workplace, mental wellness, and good working environments are of utmost importance in ensuring the well-being of nurses while delivering quality patient services.