Consequences of workplace bullying among nurses in Ghana: Does resilience matter?

Abstract

PurposeThis study investigates the impact of workplace bullying on nurses' psychological distress and the quality of care as well as the impact of resilience in mitigating the negative effect of workplace bullying. DesignA cross-sectional survey design was employed to study the phenomenon among a purposive sample of 326 nurses in the Ghanaian healthcare sector with self-administered questionnaires for data collection. Data was analyzed using IBM’s Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 27.0 and Process Macro Version. ResultsThe study found evidence that bullied nurses in hospitals often suffer from psychological distress. Results also demonstrate a negative link between workplace bullying and the quality of care delivered by nurses. Furthermore, the study found that resilience moderated the workplace bullying and nurses' psychological distress relationship, however, resilience is not a significant moderator in the workplace bullying and quality of care relationship. OriginalityThe study advances our understanding of workplace bullying's consequences for nurses in the Ghanaian healthcare sector. It underscores the importance of addressing workplace bullying, offering practical recommendations for healthcare administrators and managers. Fostering personal resources like resilience is crucial to empower nurses in facing the challenges of their workplace environment effectively.