Perceptions of Newly Registered Thai Nurses about Workplace Bullying

Abstract

Objective: To explore the perceptions of workplace bullying among newly registered nurses (RNs) who had the practice experience of 1 – 3 years in Thailand. Method: A cross-sectional study was conducted using multi-stage random sampling of nursing staff working in eight regional hospitals. Data were collected using the Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.90. Descriptive statistics was used to analyze the data. Results: The response rate was 91.7% (N = 220). It was found that 18.2% of the new RNs (n = 40) indicated that they were occasionally bullied and 12.3% (n = 27) were bullied every day. Some RNs (20%) acknowledged that they had experienced workplace bullying. The most perceived perpetrators for bullying were their own colleagues. Specific types of negative behaviors were identified. Conclusion: Workplace bullying towards newly registered nurses existed, although less frequently than expected. Specific negative behaviors related to colleagues’ bullying could be used as a guidance for nurse managers to solve this important problem. Keywords: workplace bullying, newly registered nurses, Thailand