Latent Classes of Personality Traits and Their Relationship with Workplace Bullying among Acute and Critical Care Nurses

Abstract

Objective. To identify the latent classes of personality traits among nurses in acute and critical care departments, as well as the relationship between latent classes of different personality traits and workplace bullying. Methods. A total of 245 nurses working in the acute and critical care department at a 3 A-grade hospital in Shandong Province, China, were recruited by convenient sampling. The Chinese Big Five Personality Inventory brief version was used to assess personality traits, and the Negative Acts Questionnaire was used to measure workplace bullying. Latent profile analysis was used to identify the latent classes of personality traits. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between latent classes of personality traits and workplace bullying. Results. Four latent classes of personality traits among acute and critical care nurses were identified, namely, the negative group (49.0%), flexible group (16.0%), neurotic group (18.1%), and stable group (16.9%), respectively. Compared with the neurotic group, the negative group (B = −6.227, P<0.05), stable group (B = −16.562, P<0.001), and flexible group (B = −19.208, P<0.001) experienced less workplace bullying. Conclusion. Our findings explore latent classes of personality traits among acute and critical care nurses, identify subgroups susceptible to workplace bullying, and suggest the development of appropriate interventions to reduce workplace bullying. Implications for Nursing Management. Hospital managers can identify nurses who are prone to workplace bullying based on their personality traits and provide them with psychological counseling services and psychological healing groups to help them establish good interpersonal relationships and maintain their mental and physical health.