Relationship between Coping Strategies, Bullying Behaviors and Nursing Students' Self Esteem

Abstract

Bullying has probably existed in schools for centuries. It is one of the most difficult and prevalent problems that schools face, in spite of the fact that all students have the right to have education in a safe environment. Bullying is a significant issue confronting the nursing profession, with victims described as being part of an oppressed group. Objective: Explore types of bullying experienced by Faculty of Nursing students, Alexandria University during clinical training. Setting: The current study was conducted at the Faculty of Nursing-Alexandria University. Subjects: 754 male and female nursing students. Tools: Bullying in Nursing Education Questionnaire, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and Brief Challenging Outdoor Personal Experience (COPE) Inventory. Results: The findings of this study revealed that 51.9 % of nursing students are experiencing bullying behaviors. Male students reported more frequently bullying behaviors rather than female students.. The majority of students reported low level of experienced bullying behaviors. The majority of students chose not to report bullying behaviors because they reported that nothing would be done anyway. And as a response to forms of bullying behavior " Negative or disparaging remarks about becoming nurse " was the most frequently reported. As regarding source of bullying behaviors the most frequent source of bullying behavior are clinical instructors. Conclusion: Bullying clearly exists in nursing education and is likely to continue unless nurse educators recognize the problem and agree to do something about it. Recommendations: Clinical instructors must be able to supply helpful feedback , evaluate student performance for building on nursing knowledge and skill, and recognize students' efforts.