Does abusive supervision lead nurses to suffer from workplace violence? A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to (1) assess the current status of Chinese nurses' exposure to workplace violence; (2) identify the cluster of interrelationships between abusive supervision, anxiety and depression symptoms, work ability, and workplace violence in nursing settings; and (3) clarify the functional mechanism among these variables.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted online from September to October 2020 in China. A total of 1,221 valid questionnaires were collected across 100 cities in 31 provinces.

Results: Approximately 67.57% of participants experienced workplace violence in the past one year, in the types of verbal violence (59.71%), made difficulties (43.16%), mobbing behaviour (26.70%), smear reputation (22.52%), physical violence (11.30%), intimidating behaviour (10.16%) and sexual harassment (4.10%), respectively. Moreover, nurses' exposure to workplace violence was significantly and positively influenced by the perceptions of abusive supervision (β = 0.209, p < .01) and the symptoms of anxiety and depression (β = 0.328, p < .01). Anxious and depressive symptoms partly mediated the association between abusive supervision and workplace violence, which were significantly moderated by work ability (β = -0.021, p < .05).

Conclusions: Our study assesses the prevalence of the seven types of workplace violence against Chinese nurses. Majority of nurses have experienced different types of workplace violence. Nurses who are abused by their supervisor are more likely to develop poor psychological health than those who are not. Moreover, nurses' positive association of abusive supervision with workplace violence is more notable among nurses with lower work ability.

Implications of nursing management: 'No abusive supervision, no workplace violence'. A harmonious nursing environment needs to be provided to minimize exposure to workplace violence and mental health threats towards nursing staff, which is a key point for hospital administrators and health policymakers. Essential work ability should be developed to reduce the damage of the abusive supervision and workplace violence against nurses.

Keywords: abusive supervision; cross-sectional study; mediator; moderator; nurse; workplace violence.