The impact of workplace bullying in the Zimbabwean nursing environment: is social support a beneficial resource in the bullying–well

Bullying is an environmental workplace stressor that has severe implications for the bullied individual and the organisation. Nurses within Southern African hospitals face unique challenges, which can foster an environment within which bullying flourishes. In particular within public hospitals, there are shortages of doctors, equipment, and basic resources, and hospitals are grossly understaffed. This study investigated the effect of workplace bullying on nurses’ sense of well-being, their job satisfaction, and propensity to leave. The effectiveness of social support as a moderator of the impact of bullying was considered. A self-report questionnaire was completed by 102 nurses from a public hospital in Zimbabwe. Moderated multiple regression analyses were conducted on each of the outcomes of bullying. Workplace bullying was found to have a significant impact on the outcomes measured. Higher levels of bullying were associated with lowered job satisfaction and greater propensity to leave. Social support within the sample under study did not influence these outcomes, but did influence mental well-being as a moderator. At low and medium levels of experienced bullying, high levels of support promoted higher well-being than low and medium support. But this was not the case when there was a high level of bullying, where there was no difference in mental well-being as a function of the level of social support