Abstract
The affective event of mistreatment in the workplace has been recognized as an important factor influencing employee affect and behavior. However, few studies have logically explained and empirically clarified the link between mistreatment by patients and nurses’ job satisfaction and turnover intention. The current study aimed to explore the effects of mistreatment by patients on nurses’ job satisfaction and turnover intention through work meaningfulness and emotional dissonance, as well as the moderating role of hostile attribution bias. Using three-wave survey data collect from 657 nurses who worked in three hospitals in China, we found that mistreatment by patients had a negative effect on nurses’ job satisfaction through work meaningfulness, mistreatment by patients had a positive effect on nurses’ turnover intention through emotional dissonance. Furthermore, nurses’ hostile attribution bias acted as an effective moderator on the relationship. These findings help uncover the mechanisms and conditions in which mistreatment by patients influences nurses’ job satisfaction and turnover intention.
Highlights
According to the Chinese Medical Occupation Status White Paper issued by the Chinese MedicalDoctor Association in 2018, 41.2% nurses have experienced mistreatment by a patient within the previous year [1]
Mistreatment by patients was negatively correlated with work meaningfulness (r = –0.172, p < 0.01) and positively correlated with emotional dissonance (r = 0.430, p < 0.01)
In the nursing context, this contention hinges on the critical role played by employee experiences of mistreatment by patients in reducing employees’ perceived work meaningfulness, the source of job satisfaction, as well as increasing employees’ emotional dissonance, the source of turnover intention, which was consistent with previous research [79], mistreatment by service receiver has negative influence on service provider’s emotions and actions
Summary
Doctor Association in 2018, 41.2% nurses have experienced mistreatment by a patient within the previous year [1]. This phenomenon (including verbal abuse, incivility, aggression) of patients mistreating nurses by making undeserved prejudicial statements or engaging in hurtful personal attacks can be described as mistreatment by patients [2,3]. Previous research has confirmed that an individual’s emotional wellbeing, attitudes, and performance can be compromised when they suffer mistreatment by service users [5,6,7]. Though many studies have explored mistreatment in the workplace, most concern customer mistreatment; few have paid attention to mistreatment by patients, which may reduce nurses’ job satisfaction and increase their turnover intention.
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