J Korean Clin Nurs Res.  2023 Dec;29(3):283-295. 10.22650/JKCNR.2023.29.3.283.

A Study on Clinical Nurses' Coping to Workplace Bullying: Q Methodological Approach

• Lee HJ
• Sim WH
• Lee D

• KMID: 2551433
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.22650/JKCNR.2023.29.3.283

Abstract

Purpose
The purpose of this study was to provide basic data to understand the organizational culture of nurses by categorizing nurses' experience of coping with bullying in the workplace through Q methodology and analyzing the characteristics of each type, and to induce correct policy measures and interventions to create an atmosphere created in the nursing clinical field to be more advanced and positive.
Methods
To form the Q population, focus group interviews were conducted with nurses working for more than six months at two general hospitals in Seoul and Gyeonggi. Interviews were conducted by 12 nurses introduced to participants who can provide researchers with a wealth of information on workplace bullying experiences without filtration. In addition, the Q population was extracted by reviewing the results. Based on the results derived from this, 38 Q statements in total were extracted. Forty clinical nurses were required to classify Q sample statements, and the data collected through this were analyzed using the pc-QUANAL program.
Results
As a result of the analysis, a total of five types of clinical nurses' experiences of coping with bullying in the workplace were identified: ‘tense emotion-based tolerance response,’ ‘positive thinking-based self-effort response’, ‘individualistic thinking-based passive response’, ‘support system-based emotional expression response’ and ‘active response centered on problem-solving’.
Conclusion
The derived response types are expected to be guidelines for suggesting strategies to eradicate bullying in the workplace at the organizational level, individual level, prevention level, and organizational culture level.

Keyword

Nurse; Workplace Bullying; Coping; Q-Sort