The Effects of Bullying Behaviours on Student Nurses in the Clinical Setting
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University of Windsor Scholarship at UWindsor Electronic Theses and Dissertations Theses, Dissertations, and Major Papers 2009 The Effects of Bullying Behaviours on Student Nurses in the Clinical Setting Colette Clarke University of Windsor Follow this and additional works at: https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd Recommended Citation Clarke, Colette, "The Effects of Bullying Behaviours on Student Nurses in the Clinical Setting" (2009). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 372. https://scholar.uwindsor.ca/etd/372 This online database contains the full-text of PhD dissertations and Masters’ theses of University of Windsor students from 1954 forward. These documents are made available for personal study and research purposes only, in accordance with the Canadian Copyright Act and the Creative Commons license—CC BY-NC-ND (Attribution, Non-Commercial, No Derivative Works). Under this license, works must always be attributed to the copyright holder (original author), cannot be used for any commercial purposes, and may not be altered. Any other use would require the permission of the copyright holder. Students may inquire about withdrawing their dissertation and/or thesis from this database. For additional inquiries, please contact the repository administrator via email ([email protected]) or by telephone at 519-253-3000ext. 3208. THE EFFECTS OF BULLYING BEHAVIOURS ON STUDENT NURSES IN THE CLINICAL SETTING by Colette Clarke A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies through Nursing in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Master of Science at the University of Windsor Windsor, Ontario, Canada 2009 © 2009 Colette Clarke iii AUTHOR’S DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY I hereby certify that I am the sole author of this thesis and that no part of this thesis has been published or submitted for publication. I certify that, to the best of my knowledge, my thesis does not infringe upon anyone’s copyright nor violate any proprietary rights and that any ideas, techniques, quotations, or any other material from the work of other people included in my thesis published or otherwise, are fully acknowledged in accordance with the standard referring practices. Furthermore, to the extent that I have included copyrighted material that surpasses the bounds of fair dealing within the meaning of the Canada Copyright Act, I certify that I have obtained a written permission from the copyright owner(s) to include such material(s) in my thesis and have included copies of such copyright clearances to my appendix. I declare that this is a true copy of my thesis, including any final revisions, as approved by my thesis committee and the Graduate Studies office, and that this thesis has not been submitted for a higher degree to any other University or Institution. iv ABSTRACT A descriptive study (N=674) was undertaken to examine the state of bullying in clinical nursing education. Results suggest that student nurses are experiencing and witnessing bullying behaviours at various frequencies, most notably by clinical instructors and staff nurses. Third and fourth year students are experiencing more bullying behaviours than first and second year students, with first year students reporting the least amount of bullying behaviours. Most students did not tell anyone about their experiences. Students who experienced more bullying behaviours had lower self-esteem and lower self-confidence in their ability to care for their patients. In addition, students who experienced more bullying behaviours were more likely to have considered leaving the nursing program and used more maladaptive strategies to cope with experiences of bullying behaviours. Implications for practice include ensuring that clinical instructors are well prepared for their role as educators and implementing policies that address the issue of bullying. v DEDICATION I wish to dedicate this work to my parents who taught me the value of human life, hard work and the importance of believing in your convictions. vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am grateful to each of my thesis committee members, whose individual and collaborative efforts and guidance have made this endeavour an unforgettable experience, characterized by academic and professional growth and self-discovery. I wish to thank my primary advisor, Dr. Debbie Kane for her constant support and for her in-depth knowledge of nursing and the research process. I wish to thank Dr. Dale Rajacich for her academic and professional mentorship and for her keen eye for detail. I also wish to thank Dr. Kathryn Lafreniere for her expertise in statistical analysis and her assistance in shedding light on the complex phenomenon of bullying through her expert knowledge of human behaviour. None of this would have been possible without the never-ending support from my husband, mother and children. I wish to thank my children Thomas, Emily, Sarah and Katie for helping with the housework, for understanding when my door was closed, for leaving me little tokens of support in their own way. I wish to thank them for enduring the occasional bowl of cereal for dinner and for counting, folding and stapling surveys and stuffing hundreds of envelopes. I wish to thank my mother for her ironing services, her words of encouragement and mostly for her prayers. Most importantly, I wish to thank my wonderful husband Greg, who calmly talked me through frustrating moments, who so graciously tolerated the highs and lows and who appeared to rejoice in a small milestone or a significant finding as much as I did. I cannot express in words how significant my academic and familial support has been to the successful completion of this academic and professional dream. vii Lastly, I wish to thank all of the nursing students who participated in my study. You are all important and your learning environment will remain the focus of my study in years to come. viii TABLE OF CONTENTS AUTHOR’S DECLARATION OF ORIGINALITY.........................................................iii ABSTRACT....................................................................................................................... iv DEDICATION.................................................................................................................... v ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS............................................................................................... vi LIST OF TABLES.............................................................................................................. x CHAPTER I INTRODUCTION........................................................................................ 1 Problem Statement...................................................................................... 1 Significance to Nursing............................................................................... 3 Purpose of the Study ................................................................................... 6 Conceptual Framework............................................................................... 6 Research Questions..................................................................................... 9 CHAPTER II THE REVIEW OF THE LITERATURE.................................................. 11 The Review ............................................................................................... 11 Types and Frequencies of Bullying Behaviours........................ 12 The Victim ................................................................................. 13 The Bully ................................................................................... 13 Adverse Effects.......................................................................... 14 Under-reporting ......................................................................... 15 Retention.................................................................................... 16 Self-Efficacy .............................................................................. 16 Self-Esteem................................................................................ 17 Coping........................................................................................ 18 CHAPTER III METHODOLOGY .................................................................................. 21 Research Design........................................................................................ 21 Setting and Sample ................................................................................... 22 Variable Definitions.................................................................................. 23 Bullying ..................................................................................... 23 Coping........................................................................................ 24 Perceived Self efficacy .............................................................. 25 Self-esteem................................................................................. 25 Instrumentation ......................................................................................... 26 Data Collection ......................................................................................... 29 Data Analysis............................................................................................ 31 Protection of Participant Rights................................................................ 31 Limitations ................................................................................................ 32 CHAPTER IV RESULTS...............................................................................................