Page 111 - Petelin, Ana. 2024. Ed. Zdravje delovno aktivnih in starejših odraslih | Health of the Working-Age and Older Adults. Zbornik prispevkov z recenzijo | Proceedings. Koper: University of Primorska Press

for afternoons, limiting her time with her young children. She was also threat-
ened with termination for frequent childcare absences and faced repeated un-
announced home visit to check on her.
The most frequent form of bullying reported was verbal abuse includ-
ing insults, intimidation, and threats of violence, in one instance even death
threats. Non-verbal acts were also noted, including two cased where perpe-
trators intruded into the victim’s personal space. One interviewee described a
particularly traumatic event involving the forwarding of a patient’s sick note,
which was mishandled by a colleague as instructed by physician.

He stopped me in the middle of the corridor, at the entrance to the
health centre… entered my personal space... and he said, ‘that sick
note didn’t go through’. And I said, ‘I did my job’. My voice was
shaking because I was really, really afraid of him. And he basically
pointed fingers towards me as if he was going to smack me … may-
be he stopped himself a centimetre from smacking me in the fore- 111
head. And he said, “it’s your fault for not having checked” (dm-
sp-34).

Characteristics of Both Perpetrators and Victims
Interviewees agree that health workers, especially nurses, are the most
frequent perpetrators, using their authority and support from those in higher
positions. Perpetrators were described as manipulative, superior, and seeking bullying and mobbing in nursing: a descriptive-interpretative analysis
to impress others. Interviewees believed they use bullying as a defense mech-
anism when feeling threatened. Large part of them noted that perpetrators of-
ten lack empathy and professional competence, and may bully due to dissatis-
faction or perceived personal failures.

Well, they seem insecure and have problems they don’t outward-
ly show. When you think about it… They don’t express their issues
in other ways or talk about them. It seems they display them in this
manner. (dmst-32).

The interviewees described victims as non-conflicted, submissive, and
helpful individuals who are more likely to be bullied. They described that vic-
tim are targeted for highlighting irregularities and are typically in subordinate
positions, such as new employees. Many believe that victims may stand out
due to their appearance, personal traits, or age. Two interviewees noted that
younger nurses handle bullying more effectively and view hierarchy different-
ly than older generations. A larger part of the interviewees indicated that indi-
viduals who are more sovereign in their speech and have strong communica-
tion skills are more resistant to bullying.