Abstract

TEIXEIRA, Antónia; FERREIRA, Teresa  and  BORGES, Elisabete. Behavior of nurses facing bullying at work. Revista Portuguesa de Enfermagem de Saúde Mental [online]. 2017, n.spe5, pp.69-73. ISSN 1647-2160.  https://doi.org/10.19131/rpesm.070.

BACKGROUND: The human being spends a large part of his or her life in a working context, so that his/her quality of life depends on the working environment, among other factors. Behaviors of violence, particularly bullying, are a reality in healthcare organizations. Research has shown that nurses experience this phenomenon with repercussions at the individual, organizational and social level. AIM: To describe the behavior of nurses in relation to acts of bullying at workplace, as victims and witnesses. METHODS: A qualitative study. Through the network sampling technique, semi-structured interviews were conducted to 12 nurses. The information was submitted to a categorical thematic analysis according to Bardin (2009). RESULTS: Participants who identified themselves as victims reported the following behaviors, when subjected to acts of bullying: confronting the aggressor, ignoring, information support, emotional support and antidepressant medication. Advising and supporting the victim, advocating with the aggressor, devaluing and passivity, were the behaviors described by participants who witnessed acts of bullying. CONCLUSIONS: The acts of bullying have proven to have an emotional impact on the victims, being mentioned the search for emotional support and the use of antidepressant medication. We consider that the awareness of this phenomenon, its implications and the training of nurses to act in situations of bullying can be a protective factor and as well as a promoter of healthy working environments.

Keywords : Bullying; Nurses; Occupational health.

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