Bullying behaviors among baccalaureate nursing students

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Date
2018
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Publisher
University of Alabama Libraries
Abstract

Power relations are evident in all social groups, yet research that focuses on peer aggression and victimization such as bullying continues to consistently focus on children and adolescents. Because research has provided evidence that bullying behaviors continue into adulthood, it is important to understand how they occur at the college level, including schools of nursing. This study examines bullying behaviors in a bachelor’s degree nursing program at a public university in the Southeastern United States. A cross-sectional, convenience sample of 157 female nursing student respondents was used to test whether there was a difference in the type, frequency, perpetrators, or impact of other environmental factors on bullying at three, fixed sample points in a bachelor’s degree nursing program. Data was gathered using an adapted version of the Olweus Bullying Questionnaire (1993), an instrument trusted for measuring bullying in Grades 3-12. Analysis of Variance and Pierson Chi Square statistical testing of responses related to type and frequency of bullying revealed that bullying was present and persistent throughout the program. Twenty-four percent of respondents reported that they were bullied on multiple occasions over the previous two-month reporting period. The lack of statistical differences between the groups indicated that there were no significant changes in the type or frequency of bullying at the fixed sample points in the nursing program. The presence of bullying at this rate, coupled with evidence the negative effects of bullying behavior can have on nursing students, makes this problem a priority for nurse educators. While each institution will face unique problems, understanding the type, frequency, and other characteristics of bullying is necessary to developing strategic interventions that will ameliorate the impact of this deeply rooted problem.

Description
Electronic Thesis or Dissertation
Keywords
Educational leadership, Educational psychology
Citation