Influence of Workplace Bullying on Turkish Nurses’ Psychological Distress and Nurses’ Reactions to Bullying

Abstract

Purpose: The study aims to determine the influence of bullying on nurses’ psychological distress. Design: A descriptive design was adopted. The study sample included 284 nurses of a university hospital in Izmir, Turkey. The Workplace Bullying Behavior Scale and the General Health Questionnaire were used. Results: After the study was completed, it was determined that nurses with a master’s degree were exposed to bullying more and that nurses exposed to bullying suffered higher levels of psychological distress and preferred to keep silent about it. Perpetrators of bullying were mainly head nurses. Discussion/Conclusions: Bullying is a common workplace phenomenon, and in most cases, nurses bully each other. Bullied nurses suffer more psychological distress. Implications: Managers of health care institutions should always remember that nurses have a higher risk of exposure to bullying and that measures should be taken to support nurses.