Page 113 - 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

training, while two others stress the importance of personal action, including
anonymous discussions and self-development.

Discussion
The study aimed to explore nurses’ experiences with workplace bullying, fo-
cusing on the perpetrator’s characteristics, causes of bullying, and the victims’
responses. Similar to other researchers, we found that tolerance of bullying and
poor leadership foster conditions that allow bullying to thrive in organisations
(Anusiewicz et al., 2020; Hartin et al., 2020; Shorey and Wong, 2021). Nurses
may view their superiors as incompetent at addressing bullying, which leads to
acceptance of such behaviour (Bloom, 2019; Hartin et al., 2020). They feel stuck
in a system that is lenient towards perpetrators (Shorey in Wong, 2021). Bully-
ing frequently stems from the perpetrators’ egocentrism and immaturity (Sho-
rey and Wong, 2021; Yosep et al., 2022). As per Shorey in Wong (2021) power
imbalances, ineffective leadership, employee differences and high-stress envi- 113
ronments contribute to bullying. This problem is notably prevalent in health-
care settings, where bullying can be seen as a leadership approach (Edmonson
in Zelonka, 2019).
According to Bloom (2019) qualitative study, generational differences
affect the prevalence of bullying. Younger generations of nurses often com-
municate more directly and assertively, whereas older generations tend to be
submissive.
The study found that work-related bullying is the most common form ex- bullying and mobbing in nursing: a descriptive-interpretative analysis
perienced by nurses, aligning with Johnson (2021). Lateral violence is often re-
ported in nursing (Bambi idr., 2018; Johnson, 2018; Krakar, 2021)). A pilot study
in Slovenia conducted in Slovenia (Plos et al., 2022), also indicated that majori-
ty of nurses viewed colleagues as the primary perpetrators, consistent with our
findings.
Nurses often see bullying as part of the job and refrain from reporting
due to the fear of further attacks (Rosi idr., 2020; Shorey in Wong, 2021). As in
present study, Shorey in Wong, (2021) emphasize social support as an impor-
tant coping mechanism.
Bullying negatively impacts on quality of life, and can cause short- and
long-term disorders, such as anxiety, stress, depression, and psychosomatic is-
sues (Anusiewicz idr., 2020; Shorey in Wong, 2021; Zulkarnain idr., 2023). It
may also lead to disminished self-confidence and increased self-doubt, affect-
ing decision-making and patients care quality (Mammen et. al., 2018; Mam-
men et al., 2023). Nurses find bullying distracts them, reducing concentration
and productivity (Anusiewicz idr., 2020; Shorey in Wong, 2021). Many nurs-
es continue working despite bullying because positive experiences and rela-
tionships outweigh the negative, a conclusion also found in Bloom’s research
(Bloom, 2019). Addressing bullying and mobbing in healthcare requires organ-
izational action. Nurses advocate that for leadership to promote effective com-