Nurse academics' experience of contra-power harassment from under-graduate nursing students in Australia

Abstract

Background: There is growing concern around inappropriate behaviour being perpetrated by under-graduate nursing students towards nursing academics. Coined contra-power harassment, is defined as the harassment of individuals in formal positions of power and authority by those that are not. The type of harassment behaviours reported include: verbal and physical violence, character assassination through social media, stalking and sexually motivated behaviours. The most often cited reasons for the escalation in these behaviours are seen with course progression and the awarding of grades. Aim: The aim of this study is to better understand the extent to which nursing academics experience contra-power harassment from under-graduate nursing students. Method: A convenience sample of nursing academics were in Australia were contacted and provided with an introductory letter, a participant information sheet and a link to an online questionnaire. A 41-item Likert scale (Strongly agree-strongly disagree) was used to elicit responses to statements on academics' experiences of and the contributing factors associated with contra-power harassment. Results: The main contributing factor identified from this study was seen as the consumerism of higher education; in particular paying for a degree gave a sense of entitlement with academics experiencing the highest levels of student harassment around grades. Conclusions: Contra-power harassment is becoming common place in higher education especially in nursing education. The competitive nature of obtaining employment post-university has meant that some nursing student's behaviours are becoming increasingly uncivil, challenging and unprofessional.