Workplace mobbing as a predictor of quality of work life in early-career clinical nurses

Abstract

Background: Mobbing is defined as a systematic and continuous form of psychological violence in the workplace. The healthcare sector is a field where workplace violence, including mobbing, is notably prevalent, with nurses in the early years of their careers representing a particularly vulnerable group in this context. Aims: This study aims to investigate the prevalence of workplace mobbing among early-career nurses and its relationship with their quality of work life and sociodemographic characteristics. Method: This descriptive and prospective study employed a convenience sampling method. The study sample consisted of 392 clinical nurses who were in their first five years of professional life and were still working at the institution where they first started their career. Data were collected using a socio-demographic characteristics questionnaire, the workplace psychological violence scale (WPVS), and the Nursing Quality of work life scale (NWLQS). Results: Among nurses in the early years of their careers, mobbing related to professional status was the variable with the highest Beta coefficient negatively affecting work life quality (β: -0.171; p < 0.05), and together with the negative behavior subscale score, it was a significant predictor of reduced work life quality (R² Change: 16.547; p < 0.05). However, attacks on personality and workplace isolation did not make a significant contribution to the quality of work life in the hierarchical regression model (p < 0.05). Conclusions: This study reveals that exposure to bullying in the professional status subscale during the first five years of nurses’ careers significantly negatively affects their quality of work life. It highlights the need for greater support for nurses in the early years of their careers in addressing this issue within their work environments. Clinical trial number: Not applicable.