Workplace bullying in nurses

The article reports a study of workplace bullying in community nurses in an NHS trust. The aims were to determine the prevalence of bullying, to exami ne the association between bullying and occupational health outcomes, and t o investigate whether support at work could moderate the effects of bullyin g. Forty-four percent of nurses reported experiencing one or more types of bullying in the previous 12 months, compared to 35 percent of other staff. Fifty percent of nurses had witnessed the bullying of others. Nurses who ha d been bullied reported significantly lower levels of job satisfaction and significantly higher levels of anxiety, depression and propensity to leave. They were also more critical of aspects of the organizational climate of t he trust. Support at work was able to protect nurses from some of the damag ing effects of bullying.