Mobbing Syndrome during COVID-19

Abstract

Introduction: Mobbing syndrome is frequently observed in health care settings. Inadequate management has a profound effect on victims since they demonstrate difficulties in defending themselves while causing them physical, psychological, social and work-related consequences. Aim: To measure the occurrence of this phenomenon among nursing staff in the midst of a covid-19 pandemic. Methodology: The Negative Acts Questionnaire- Revised (NAQ-R), an instrument designed to measure exposure to bullying in the workplace was used. It consisted of a total of 31 questions. Chrobanch alpha reliability coefficient was (α)= .898. Questionnaires were distributed via Google Forms online platform due to the Covid- 19 pandemic. A total of 216 nurses participated in the study. SPSS v.25 was used for the statistical analysis. Results: The vast majority of the sample (76.9%) were victims of mobbing. The score ranged from 27-90 with a mean of 54.44. The results showed that younger nurses (p<0.05), who resided in rural areas (p<0.05), were single (p<0.05), did not hold an administrative position (p<0.05), had less professional experience (p<0.05) and an annual income of 10,001-20,000€ (p<0.05) scored higher. Conclusions: The percentage of nurses who suffered moral harassment is particularly alarming and therefore it is necessary to inform and take preventive and safety measures for employees that are victims of mobbing.