Mitigating workplace bullying through authentic leadership: Evidence from hospital nurses in Jordan
4 affiliations
- 1Faculty of Nursing, Ibn Sina University for Medical Sciences, Amman, Jordan.
- 2Department of Community Health Nursing, School of Nursing, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan.
- 3Department of Clinical Nursing, School of Nursing, The University of Jordan, Amman, Jordan.
- 4Dr. Sulaiman Al Habib Medical Group, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Abstract
Background: Workplace bullying constitutes a major challenge within healthcare settings, particularly among nursing professionals. High prevalence rates of workplace bullying among nurses have been documented globally, underscoring the urgent need for effective leadership strategies to prevent, address, and mitigate bullying behaviors within healthcare environments. Aim: To examine the relationship between authentic leadership behaviors and the occurrence of workplace bullying among registered nurses in Jordan. Methods: A correlational cross-sectional design was employed in this study. A convenience sample of 205 registered nurses was recruited from two hospitals in Jordan, comprising one university-affiliated hospital and one private hospital. Data were collected from March 1 to June 1, 2023 using a self-administered questionnaire comprising the Authentic Leadership Questionnaire and the Negative Acts Questionnaire–Revised. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were performed to analyze the data. Results: The mean score for supervisors’ authentic leadership as perceived by nurses was 2.78 (SD = 0.75), whereas the mean score for overall workplace bullying was 2.17 (SD = 0.94). The prevalence of workplace bullying among participants was 64.9% (N = 133), comprising 11.7% (N = 24) who reported occasional bullying and 53.2% (N = 109) who reported severe bullying. The findings demonstrated a moderate negative correlation between authentic leadership and workplace bullying (r = −0.51, p < 0.001). Furthermore, the multiple regression model was statistically significant (F (17, 187) = 5.94, p < 0.001, adjusted R2 = 0.292) indicating that hospital type, working unit, and the transparency dimension of authentic leadership were significant predictors of workplace bullying. Conclusion: The study highlights an association between authentic leadership and lower perceptions of workplace bullying in healthcare settings. The results suggest that strengthening authentic leadership development initiatives may be associated with reductions in workplace bullying. The multifactorial nature of bullying underscores the need for multilevel organizational strategies to create safer and more supportive nursing environments.
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BibTeX
@article{allaham2026mitigating,
title = {{Mitigating workplace bullying through authentic leadership: Evidence from hospital nurses in Jordan}},
author = {Rahaf Abdulsalam Al-Laham and Ali Moh'd Saleh and Waddah Mohammad D'emeh and Muhammad W Darawad and Duaa Izzat Zaidiyah and Tariq Noureddin Mkhaimer},
journal = {PLOS One},
year = {2026},
month = oct,
doi = {10.1371/journal.pone.0359313},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0359313},
note = {CC BY},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Mitigating workplace bullying through authentic leadership: Evidence from hospital nurses in Jordan
AU - Rahaf Abdulsalam Al-Laham
AU - Ali Moh'd Saleh
AU - Waddah Mohammad D'emeh
AU - Muhammad W Darawad
AU - Duaa Izzat Zaidiyah
AU - Tariq Noureddin Mkhaimer
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/10/21
JO - PLOS One
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0359313
UR - https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0359313
AB - Background: Workplace bullying constitutes a major challenge within healthcare settings, particularly among nursing professionals. High prevalence rates of workplace bullying among nurses have been documented globally, underscoring the urgent need for effective leadership strategies to prevent, address, and mitigate bullying behaviors within healthcare environments. Aim: To examine the relationship between authentic leadership behaviors and the occurrence of workplace bullying among registered nurses in Jordan. Methods: A correlational cross-sectional design was employed in this study. A convenience sample of 205 registered nurses was recruited from two hospitals in Jordan, comprising one university-affiliated hospital and one private hospital. Data were collected from March 1 to June 1, 2023 using a self-administered questionnaire comprising the Authentic Leadership Questionnaire and the Negative Acts Questionnaire–Revised. Descriptive and inferential statistical analyses were performed to analyze the data. Results: The mean score for supervisors’ authentic leadership as perceived by nurses was 2.78 (SD = 0.75), whereas the mean score for overall workplace bullying was 2.17 (SD = 0.94). The prevalence of workplace bullying among participants was 64.9% (N = 133), comprising 11.7% (N = 24) who reported occasional bullying and 53.2% (N = 109) who reported severe bullying. The findings demonstrated a moderate negative correlation between authentic leadership and workplace bullying (r = −0.51, p < 0.001). Furthermore, the multiple regression model was statistically significant (F (17, 187) = 5.94, p < 0.001, adjusted R2 = 0.292) indicating that hospital type, working unit, and the transparency dimension of authentic leadership were significant predictors of workplace bullying. Conclusion: The study highlights an association between authentic leadership and lower perceptions of workplace bullying in healthcare settings. The results suggest that strengthening authentic leadership development initiatives may be associated with reductions in workplace bullying. The multifactorial nature of bullying underscores the need for multilevel organizational strategies to create safer and more supportive nursing environments.
SN - 1932-6203
ER -