| Abstract [eng] |
Greta Burinskaitė. Management of Mobbing in Personal Health Care Institutions. Master’s thesis. Supervisor: Prof. Dr. Natalja Istomina. Vilnius University, Faculty of Medicine, Institute of Health Sciences, Department of Obstetrics and Nursing. Vilnius, 2026. Background: Mobbing in healthcare institutions (hereinafter HI) is a pressing issue concerning employee psychological well-being, workplace safety and organizational management. Although attention to prevention of workplace violence is growing, there is a lack of data on mobbing management in HI in Lithuania. Aim: To assess the management of mobbing in Lithuanian healthcare institutions Objectives: 1. To determine prevalence and manifestations of mobbing among employees of HI participating in the study. 2. To examine experiences of HI employees participating in the study with mobbing and response to bullying situations. 3. To reveal HI managers attitude to mobbing and experience in managing bullying situations. 4. To evaluate mobbing prevention and management measures implemented in Lithuanian HI. Methods: A mixed-methods study was conducted in March–April 2026: a quantitative, anonymous, electronic survey of HI emploees (n = 174) and semi-structured qualitative interviews (n = 5) with HI managers. The prevalence of mobbing was assessed using self-identification method, expression was assessed using the Short Negative Acts Questionnaire (S-NAQ). Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, Student’s t-test, chi-square test. Qualitative data were analyzed using thematic analysis principles. Results: During past 6 months, 36.2% of respondents reported experiencing mobbing. It was associated with the respondents’ occupational group (p = 0.03) and type of institution (p < 0.001). Common forms: spreading of rumors, gossip, withholding information, being target of spontaneous anger. About half of respondents who experienced mobbing saw no point in reporting it, satisfaction with resolution of incidents was low. Employees’ readiness to recognize and address mobbing situations is associated with participation in training, knowing where to turn when experiencing mobbing, and membership in professional unions. Experiencing mobbing is statistically significantly associated with the psychological climate in the workplace (p < 0.001). Qualitative research revealed managers’ attitudes toward mobbing, differences in response practices, need to strengthen managers’ competencies. Conclusions: 1. In 6 months period, 36.2% of respondents reported experiencing mobbing. Mobbing was more common among residents, nurses, nursing assistants in national and university hospitals. The most common forms were spreading of rumors, gossip, withholding information, becoming target of spontaneous anger. Colleagues were more often identified as the initiators of mobbing. 2. Respondents who experienced mobbing were more likely to turn to family members or colleagues. Half of those who experienced mobbing indicated they saw no point in reporting it; most of those who did report it stated that the incident was not investigated. At time of incident one-fifth took no action, one-tenth pretended it did not happen, about one-third chose confrontation. 3. Individuals performing managerial functions in HI revealed three main perspectives on mobbing: recognition of it as form of psychological violence, distinguishing mobbing from conflict, critical view of term’s usage, lack of it‘s understanding. Managers’ reaction to mobbing situations depend on formal procedures, manager’s competencies, experience, attitude, abilities. 4. Positive aspects of mobbing management in HI: role of labour unions, employee participation in training, managerial mediation in the early stages of conflict. Improvement areas: employee informing, reporting channels, investigation, management competencies, psychological aid availability, application and updating of formal procedures. |
