Is there a relationship between Bullying and PTSD among Nurses

Abstract

Today in this highly competitive world organisations demand a lot from their employees. This is not different for healthcare industries. In hospitals, nurses undergo tremendous pressures in order to ensure their patients are looked after well. But it is commonly known in the industry that nursing is one of the hardest jobs to do. This is not only because of the stresses they are put under but also due to the pressure and abuse nurse get from their peers as well as management.Even though bullying exists in almost every organisation, it can be a cause for concern in the healthcare sector. This is because bullying will cause unnecessary stresses on nurses. Which, in turn, will result in errors. Some might be minuscule errors while some can result in fatalities. Therefore psychological well-being among nurses is a must. The stresses of bullying can be caused by being bullied or simply by observing bullying.The aim of this study is to understand the effects of bullying and to find out how it contributes to PTSD. The researcher has identified two main aspects of bullying which will cause PTSD among nurses. Using a survey the researcher has collected data from a private hospital in Colombo in order to determine the effects of bullying and witnessing bullying.The findings of this study will help the healthcare professionals to understand the effects of bullying and what effect it causes in nurses. Further, it will help relevant decisionmakers to take right decisions in order to prevent bullying and ensure the perfect working condition to its staff.