Mobbing experienced by nurses in health care facilities

Abstract

The article deals with the issues of mobbing in health care facilities. Nurse is one of the professions excessively exposed to the mobbing behaviour. Compared to other sectors, the risk of occurrence of this negative phenomenon in health care sector is up to seven times higher. The empirical part of the paper includes an analysis and a comparison of the results of the research carried out as a descriptive study with the aim to determine the extent to which mobbing is experienced by nurses, its emotional and physiological effects on the respondents and the steps taken by the individual persons to escape from the mobbing. It focuses also on the possible links between the nurses’ personal traits and their vulnerability to mobbing. In order to get the necessary data, a quantitative method - through a questionnaire survey - has been used. The creation of the questionnaire has drawn inspiration from the research carried out by Nursing Administration Department, Florence Nightingale School of Nursing, Istanbul University in 2005, the respondents being nurses working in health care facilities in Turkey [1]. In order to determine the personal characteristics, the M. Hřebíčková and T. Urbánek’s NEO Five-Factor Inventory has been applied, based on the NEO Five-Factor Inventory developed by P. T. Costa and R. R. McCrae. The inventory identifies the levels of individual differences. It determinates the level of neuroticism, extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness and conscientiousness. In order to obtain the statistical analysis of the data received, parametric tests have been used, i.e. the student’s two-tailed t-test with the equal dispersion and Pearson correlation. The data have been processed by the STATISTICA version 10 CZ programme. All the data have also been verified by the non-parametric tests. The research results point out problems that might occur in the health care facilities, drawing the attention of the facilities’ management to emerging problems concerning the staff. It is necessary to define clear rules and procedures in order to prevent the negative behaviour practices from developing among the health care staff and to help establishing well-being in the workplace.