Bullying Among Nurses: A Summary of the Literature

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Horizontal violence is a form of workplace relational aggression, an experience that is rampant in the nursing profession (McKenna, Smith, Poole, & Coverdale, 2003). The expression, horizontal violence, is used to describe cruel behaviors between colleagues of comparable status, such as registered nurses, in the workplace. Research has shown a variety of destructive peer-to-peer behaviors that are detrimental to the profession and healthcare systems (Farrell, 2001). Nevertheless, little research has been done on “eating their young,” horizontal violence arising between those with unequal power, such as registered nurses and students (Thomas & Burk, 2009). Several databases including Academic Search Premier, JSTOR, CINAHL, MEDLINE, and Cochrane were accessed using the key words “workplace violence,” “nurses,” student nurses,” horizontal violence,” “bullying,” “oppression,” and “intergroup conflict.” The purpose of the literature search was to determine the predominance of horizontal violence among new nurses and nursing students. Horizontal Violence Nurse horizontal violence towards new nurses and nursing students includes methodical, unwelcome or unprovoked behaviors with the intent to upset, control, humiliate, harm, or segregate (Hutchinson, Vickers, Jackson, & Wilkes, 2006). Horizontal violence can be furtive and shrewd (such as withholding information or spreading gossip) as well as obvious and direct, such as reproaching in front of other staff, false complaints, or threatening body language (Hutchinson et al., 2006). Other forms of the experience, described both in nursing and non-nursing literature, include bullying, mobbing, intimidation, and aggression (Farrell, 2001). Bullies form cliques and engage in repetit... ... middle of paper ... ...June). Development of a positive professional identity: Liberating oneself from the oppressor within. Advances in Nursing Science, 22 (4), 71–82. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/00012272-200006000-00007 Roberts, S. J., DeMarco, R., & Griffin, M. (2009, January). The effect of oppressed group behaviours on the culture of the nursing workplace: A review of the evidence and interventions for change. Journal of Nursing Management, 17 (3), 288–293. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2834.2008.00959.x Stevens, S. (2002, September-October). Nursing workforce retention: Challenging a bullying culture. Health Affairs, 21 (5), 189–193. http://dx.doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.21.5.189 Thomas, S. P., & Burk, R. (2009, July–August). Junior nursing students’ experiences of vertical violence during clinical rotations. Nursing Outlook, 57, 226–231. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.outlook.2008.08.004

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