Page 135 - Petelin, Ana, ur. 2024. Zdravje delovno aktivnih in starejših odraslih / Health of Working-Age and Older Adults. Zbornik povzetkov z recenzijo ▪︎ Book of Abstracts. Koper: Založba Univerze na Primorskem/University of Primorska Press

Bullying and mobbing in nursing: A descriptive-interpretative analysis

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Ajda Plos , Mirko Prosen , Maša Černelič Bizjak 2
1 Health Education Center, Health Center, Grosuplje, Slovenia
2 University of Primorska Faculty of Health Sciences, Izola, Slovenia
Introduction: The shortage of healthcare staff in Slovenia has been a topic of debate for
many years, which is being intensified by the ageing of the population. Healthcare or-
ganisations are facing a shortage of nurses and other nursing staff. The challenge is fur-
ther compounded by an unsupportive environment, often with bullying present. Neg-
ative acts of bullying have a wide range of negative consequences for the victim and
those around them. Colleagues who witness bullying or mobbing may also suffer be-
cause they may be unable or unwilling to defend the victim against the attacker. Staff
turnover brings not only financial problems to an organization but also a reduction in
the quality of work and negative outcomes for those entering the health system. The
aim of this research is to gain an in-depth insight into the experience of workplace bul-
lying in nursing, and how nurses respond to negative acts of bullying.
Methods: Qualitative descriptive interpretive methods were employed to collect da-
ta from nine nurses across all levels of healthcare through semi-structured interviews.
The data was then processed using thematic analysis of qualitative data.
Results: During the in-depth interview, the interviewees provided detailed accounts
of their personal experiences with bullying and shared their perspectives on the is-
sue. Five themes emerged from the data analysis: (1) causes of bullying, (2) experienc-
es of bullying in the workplace, (3) characteristics of both perpetrators and victims, (4)
strategies for responding to and coping with bullying, and (5) consequences of bullying.
Discussion and conclusions: To improve conditions in healthcare and reduce bullying, or-
ganisations need to make changes such as explicitly respecting zero-tolerance policies,
educating staff, and investing in strengthening relationships within teams.
Keywords: nurses, perpetrator, victim, relationships, mobbing
problemi, izzivi in priložnosti na področju zdravja ... | concerns, challenges and opportunities in the health ...

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