Citation

Stanley KM, Martin MM, Nemeth LS, Michel Y, Welton JM. Issues Ment. Health Nurs. 2007; 28(11): 1247-1265.

Affiliation

Medical University Hospital Authority, Charleston, South Carolina 29425, USA. stanleyk@musc.edu

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Informa - Taylor and Francis Group)

DOI

10.1080/01612840701651470

PMID

17987480

Abstract

The decision to examine the phenomenon of lateral violence within the nursing workforce of a Southeastern tertiary care medical center evolved from the strong response of attendees to a nursing presentation on lateral violence. This paper describes the development and testing of the Lateral Violence in Nursing Survey. This questionnaire, designed to measure perceived incidence and severity of lateral violence, was administered online to 663 nursing staff participants. Forty-six percent of the study participants reported lateral violence as a "very serious" or "somewhat serious" problem, and 65% reported frequently observing lateral violence behaviors among coworkers. Education and effective leadership were found to mediate oppressive and negative behaviors, whereas ineffective leadership was found to exacerbate lateral violence.

Language: en