Abstract

Session presented on: Wednesday, July 24, 2013:

Purpose: Integrated findings from studies of bully, victim, and administrator experiences in regard to workplace bullying (WPB) demonstrate the intricacy of the essential milieu of WPB and highlight complexities of effective intervention. The purpose of this study was to assess congruence between guidelines and obligations stated in workplace bullying policies established in 21 US states, and themes depicting victim experiences emerging from a mixed-methods systematic review of WPB research. The investigators' collective expertise in four disciplines served to strengthen analysis of the research question: How adequate are guidelines and obligations of WPB policies, in light of themes emerging from a mixed-methods systematic review of relevant WPB studies?

Methods: The investigators employed a mixed-methods review using a multi-step process to structure their approach. Common themes emerging from existing, state-level WPB policies provided search terms for this study. Two teams worked simultaneously to search, screen, and map findings of studies focusing on WPB; one team analyzed quantitative study findings while the other used hermeneutics to assess themes emerging from qualitative studies. Finally, we integrated qualitative and quantitative findings to generate interpretive themes. Findings of our mixed-methods analyses maximize the strengths of both qualitative and quantitative findings, facilitating critical understanding of proposed, policy-based WPB interventions from the points of view of the people the interventions target.

Results: Analyses demonstrate that: 1) WPB victims describe significant difficulty reporting experiences to supervisors; 2) numerous instruments are available to characterize the emotional response profile of WPB victims; 3) workplace administrators' communications may provide limited support for reporting workplace victims; and 4) statements from proposed legislation in 21 US states address remedies for WPB across a range of adequacy.

Conclusion: Findings from this mixed-methods review provide rich, thematic insights into ways to strengthen WPB intervention policy, adding to conclusions from the Cochrane review of intervention studies related to WPB.

Author Details

Laura C. Dzurec, PhD, PMHCNS-BC; Shawn M. Fitzgerald, PhD; Gail E. Bromley, PhD, RN, CNS; Timothy W. Meyers, RN, MSN; Aryn C. Karpinski, PhD

Sigma Membership

Non-member

Lead Author Affiliation

Kent State University, Kent, Ohio, USA

Type

Presentation

Format Type

Text-based Document

Study Design/Type

Systematic Review

Research Approach

Mixed/Multi Method Research

Keywords:

Policy, Mixed-Methods Systematic Review, Worklplace Bullying

Conference Name

24th International Nursing Research Congress

Conference Host

Sigma Theta Tau International

Conference Location

Prague, Czech Republic

Conference Year

2013

Rights Holder

All rights reserved by the author(s) and/or publisher(s) listed in this item record unless relinquished in whole or part by a rights notation or a Creative Commons License present in this item record.

All permission requests should be directed accordingly and not to the Sigma Repository.

All submitting authors or publishers have affirmed that when using material in their work where they do not own copyright, they have obtained permission of the copyright holder prior to submission and the rights holder has been acknowledged as necessary.

Review Type

Abstract Review Only: Reviewed by Event Host

Acquisition

Proxy-submission

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Adequacy of sample workplace bullying policy: Results of a mixed-methods systematic review

Prague, Czech Republic

Session presented on: Wednesday, July 24, 2013:

Purpose: Integrated findings from studies of bully, victim, and administrator experiences in regard to workplace bullying (WPB) demonstrate the intricacy of the essential milieu of WPB and highlight complexities of effective intervention. The purpose of this study was to assess congruence between guidelines and obligations stated in workplace bullying policies established in 21 US states, and themes depicting victim experiences emerging from a mixed-methods systematic review of WPB research. The investigators' collective expertise in four disciplines served to strengthen analysis of the research question: How adequate are guidelines and obligations of WPB policies, in light of themes emerging from a mixed-methods systematic review of relevant WPB studies?

Methods: The investigators employed a mixed-methods review using a multi-step process to structure their approach. Common themes emerging from existing, state-level WPB policies provided search terms for this study. Two teams worked simultaneously to search, screen, and map findings of studies focusing on WPB; one team analyzed quantitative study findings while the other used hermeneutics to assess themes emerging from qualitative studies. Finally, we integrated qualitative and quantitative findings to generate interpretive themes. Findings of our mixed-methods analyses maximize the strengths of both qualitative and quantitative findings, facilitating critical understanding of proposed, policy-based WPB interventions from the points of view of the people the interventions target.

Results: Analyses demonstrate that: 1) WPB victims describe significant difficulty reporting experiences to supervisors; 2) numerous instruments are available to characterize the emotional response profile of WPB victims; 3) workplace administrators' communications may provide limited support for reporting workplace victims; and 4) statements from proposed legislation in 21 US states address remedies for WPB across a range of adequacy.

Conclusion: Findings from this mixed-methods review provide rich, thematic insights into ways to strengthen WPB intervention policy, adding to conclusions from the Cochrane review of intervention studies related to WPB.