Skip to main content
Download PDF

Patient mistreatment, social sharing of negative events and emotional exhaustion among Chinese nurses: the combined moderating effect of organizational support and trait resilience

BMC Nursing volume 23, Article number: 260 (2024) Cite this article

Abstract

Background

As a primary form of work-related violence in the healthcare sector, patient mistreatment negatively impacts nurses’ well-being. To date, there has yet reached a definitive conclusion on the mediating mechanism and boundary conditions behind the influence of patient mistreatment on nurses’ emotional exhaustion.

Methods

This study employed a convenience sampling method to recruit a sample of 1672 nurses from public hospitals in Western China. The data were collected through anonymous self-report questionnaires and analyzed using hierarchical regression and conditional processes to investigate a theoretical framework encompassing patient mistreatment, emotional exhaustion, social sharing of negative events, organizational support, and trait resilience.

Results

Patient mistreatment led to emotional exhaustion among nurses (β = 0.625, p <.001), and social sharing of negative events mediated this positive relationship (effect = 0.073, SE = 0.013). The combined effects of organizational support and resilience moderated the mediating effect of the social sharing of negative events between patient mistreatment and emotional exhaustion (β=-0.051, p <.05). Specifically, nurses with a high level of resilience would benefit from organizational support to alleviate emotional exhaustion caused by patient mistreatment.

Conclusions

This study validated a significant positive association between patient mistreatment and emotional exhaustion, which aligns with previous research findings. Integrating conservation of resources theory and goal progress theory, we addressed previous contradictory findings on the impact of social sharing of negative events on emotional exhaustion. Social sharing of negative events served as a mediator between patient mistreatment and emotional exhaustion. Additionally, the moderating effect of organizational support on the relationship between social sharing of negative events and emotional exhaustion depended on individual trait of resilience.

Peer Review reports

Introduction

Workplace violence is a worldwide concern and a major risk in healthcare work. It was defined as incidents in which staff members are mistreated, threatened, or assaulted in circumstances related to their work [1]. Over the last decades, it has been well documented that healthcare professionals around the world are at significant risk of violence exposure [2]. Studies have shown that the most vulnerable healthcare workers victimized are nurses and paramedics [3, 4], with the most common perpetrators being patients, their relatives, or visitors [5]. A recent survey of 4263 nurses in the healthcare sector showed that 54% of respondents had experienced verbal violence by patients [6], including negative emotional behaviors exhibited by patients or their families, such as anger, swearing, insults, yelling, and speaking rudely toward nurses [7,8,9]. All these negative emotional behaviors are known as “patient mistreatment”. A considerable amount of research conducted in healthcare organizations has shown that exposure to patient mistreatment is a strong predictor of stress, emotional exhaustion, turnover intention and obstacles to career development among nurses [6, 7, 10,11,12,13]. Specifically, emotional exhaustion, characterized by intense fatigue, lack of interest, low mood, and less enthusiasm for jobs, is not only a key outcome resulting from patient mistreatment but also serves as a significant predictor of nurse turnover and a decline in nursing job performance. The conservation of resources (COR) theory provides a theoretical framework for understanding emotional exhaustion caused by patient mistreatment. The COR theory indicates that people strive to retain, protect, and build resources which are needed in fulfilling job responsibilities and are threatened by the potential or actual loss of those valued resources [14,15,16]. Despite increasing research interest, the existing literature has yet reached a definitive conclusion on the mechanism how patient mistreatment impacts nurses’ emotional exhaustion. Therefore, this study developed and examined a theoretical model regarding the influence of patient mistreatment on nurses’ emotional exhaustion and explored the mechanisms and boundary conditions behind this relationship.

Social sharing of negative events refers to talking to others about negative events and one’s emotional reactions to them and can occur hours to months after the event [17, 18]. It is often seen as a response to emotional experiences to release negative emotions, alleviate work-related stress, and restore resources. However, there is no consensus on the impact of this behavior on emotional exhaustion [19,20,21]. Social sharing of negative events sometimes fails to bring new insights into emotional experiences, and disrupts nurses’ goal-related cognitive processes. Goal progress theory illustrates that goal failure (e.g. receiving customer mistreatment) [22] is associated with cognitive rumination [23], which may lead to the further loss of resources. Therefore, we examined the social sharing of negative events as a mediating mechanism in the relationship between patient mistreatment and emotional exhaustion in this study.

Furthermore, studies of organizational support have shown that it provides a supportive environment for individuals in coping with stress caused by customer mistreatment [24]. The COR theory also explicates that supportive environments and contexts create fertile ground for creation of individual resources [15]. However, some evidence has revealed that organizational support is not consistently beneficial, yielding inconclusive findings [25,26,27]. Besides, it is crucial to understand why some people are able to handle negative experiences at work more functionally than others. Consistent with COR theory, individual resources may be contained or embodied in traits and capabilities [14]. Resilience is a personal trait that can help individuals better cope with adversity and stress [28]. Therefore, this study introduces organizational support as a crucial moderating variable to explore its moderating effect on the mediating pathway of the social sharing of negative events between patient mistreatment and emotional exhaustion and examines whether trait resilience serves as a boundary condition to the effectiveness of organizational support.

In summary, drawing upon the conservation of resources theory and goal progress theory, this study attempts to answer the following questions: Is patient mistreatment related to emotional exhaustion through the social sharing of negative events? Is organizational support always beneficial or not? And who will benefit from it?

Patient mistreatment and emotional exhaustion

Among all occupational groups, healthcare workers are ranked as one of the most likely to experience workplace aggression [29,30,31,32]. Patient mistreatment refers to negative emotional behaviors such as expressed anger, swearing, insulting, yelling, and speaking rudely directed toward healthcare providers by patients or their families [9, 33, 34]. Existing studies have extensively explored the adverse consequences of patient mistreatment on healthcare staff and found that it can negatively impact their psychological and physical well-being, leading to increased anxiety, burnout, and negative emotions [35,36,37]. The psychological harm caused by patient mistreatment can also result in stress, which is defined as a reaction to an environment in which there is a threat or net loss of resources [34].

The conservation of resources (COR) theory constructs a framework for comprehending the origins and coping strategies of stress and is frequently used to interpret the process of emotional exhaustion. Individual resources are defined as any element that is valuable for an individual’s survival and development. Individuals strive to retain, protect, and build the resources they value [14,15,16], and suffer salient impacts when they lose resources. Moreover, the availability of resources determines the impact of workplace stressors (such as unfair treatment) on employees [38, 39]. Healthcare professionals may experience emotional exhaustion, which refers to energy depletion or the draining of emotional resources [38], as a consequence of mistreatment by patients [35]. Therefore, we propose the following hypothesis:

H1

Patient mistreatment is positively related to emotional exhaustion.

The mediating role of social sharing of negative events

Researchers have identified social sharing of negative events as talking to others about a negative event and one’s emotional reactions to it and can occur hours to months after the event [17, 18, 40]. Individuals voluntarily share their negative emotional experiences and feelings with others in social settings to release negative emotions, alleviate work-related stress, and restore psychological resources. Despite research on this topic, there is no consensus on the impact of social sharing on negative emotions. Delroisse et al. suggested that it can reduce job burnout by helping employees make sense of work situations and reinforcing relationships with others [19]. By contrast, Nolen-Hoeksema posited that sharing could potentially be detrimental if it involves ruminating on or immersing oneself in negative feelings, potentially exacerbating or prolonging feelings of sadness [20]. Drawing upon the conservation of resources theory and goal progress theory, we aimed to clarify the effect of social sharing of negative events between patient mistreatment and emotional exhaustion.

COR theory stated that individuals should proactively invest resources to protect themselves against potentially stressful situations, recover from losses, and accumulate additional resources to brace themselves for future challenges [14,15,16]. Social sharing of negative events has been conceptualized as a social and interpersonal process of repetitively seeking proactive social opportunities to verbalize experiences of stressful events [40, 41]. Strongman et al. argued that social sharing of emotions activates the interconnectedness between individuals and their respective social networks or support systems [42]. Supportive actions by recipients, such as listening, understanding, and consolation, help sharers replenish depleted resources and foster their ability to cope with stressors in the sharing process [43], ultimately equipping them with the necessary resources to address adverse situations. For example, Zech highlighted that social sharing of negative events can provide informational support (e.g. advice) and facilitate reevaluation for individuals [17]. Laurens’s study revealed that nurses are inclined to engage in emotional social sharing with professionals, such as colleagues or counselors, when confronted with emotional issues involving their patients [44]. Therefore, drawing upon conservation resources theory, we anticipated that nurses who experience resource depletion due to patient mistreatment may seek to obtain the necessary resources through social sharing of negative events to manage stressful events.

Social sharing of negative events can facilitate cognitive-affective processing of shared events [45]. However, it carries “sharing risks” [46], particularly when negative emotions are involved. When it comes to repeated negative events, deliberate thoughts oriented towards the implications of a given event may alternate with unwanted, intrusive thoughts [40]. Martin and Tesser defined a class of conscious thoughts that revolve around a common instrumental theme as cognitive rumination [23], which is associated with goal progress theory [22] to illustrate the impact of goal failure (e.g., receiving customer mistreatment) [47]. Patient mistreatment serves as a pivotal emotional event and an original disruption. It fails to bring new insights into emotional experiences, disrupts nurses’ goal-related cognitive processes, and triggers rumination [40, 47] when nurses share negative events with others [20]. The more nurses ruminate, the longer they experience intrusive thoughts linked to unachieved goals [22]. Moreover, loss of resources or the threat of such loss is a crucial factor in predicting psychological distress and leading to investing more resources, making those already lacking resources even more vulnerable to loss spirals [14]. Emotional exhaustion occurs when individuals are confronted with dual stressors of resource depletion and goal failure. Consequently, we propose the following hypothesis:

H2

Social sharing of negative events mediates the relationship between patient mistreatment and emotional exhaustion.

The moderating role of organizational support

Hobfoll et al. further clarified those resources, which are central to survival and goal attainment, operate depending on the ecological context [48, 49].They further theorized that resources do not exist individually but travel in packs, or caravans for both individuals and organizations [15, 50]. Organizational support, which is the overall belief that the organization values contributions and cares about the well-being of its employees [51], is a vital aspect of work resources. Crossover acts as one of the mechanisms of resource exchange within resource caravans [15] and states that organizational support can be effectively transferred from organizational context to individuals. Studies have suggested that the crossover of resources is also very important for gaining spirals because it can increase a partner’s engagement, potentially triggering a chain of crossover of engagement processes [52]. Moreover, global research has also identified organizational support as a new buffer-type resource that can counter the resource-depleting effect of high workload and high emotional demands in a large sample of Dutch health professionals [53]. Therefore, these important work resources, including concern, recognition, and respect inherited in organizational support, would compensate for individuals’ resources, foster the accomplishment of personal work objectives [54], and enhance employees’ self-efficacy and sense of self-worth, consequently elevating their positive emotions [55, 56]. Thus, we anticipated that organizational support would not only alleviate the adverse effects of mistreatment experienced by employees within the organization [57,58,59], but also effectively moderate the relationship between social sharing of negative events and emotional exhaustion.

The combined effect of organizational support and trait relicense

Conventionally, studies have demonstrated that organizational support constitutes a valuable work resource. However, COR theory posited that the transfer of resources across social entities (individuals and organizations) is slower. Mounting evidence suggested that organizational support may, at times, not be helpful or even worsen situations [60,61,62]. Perhaps the effects of crossover depend on certain traits of the individuals or groups. Evidence continued to mount regarding those with greater resources being less vulnerable to resource loss and more capable of gaining resources [15, 63]. Luthans and Avolio [64] pointed out that both psychological capital and organizational support are necessary for employees to achieve high performance. Resilience, an individual’s ability to cope effectively with adversity and stress when facing difficulties and setbacks [65, 66], can be a key personal resource for understanding how individuals break loss spirals [67, 68]. Resilience enables individuals to adapt better to changing environments [69, 70] and shapes their perception of stress [71, 72].

This study found that trait resilience acts as a boundary condition for the moderating role of organizational support in the relationship between social sharing of negative events and emotional exhaustion. Furthermore, the interactive effects among various resources, such as psychological and organizational resources [73], do not simply add up, but rather enhance the assets necessary for individuals to accomplish their objectives. Consequently, it facilitates individuals with higher levels of resilience by employing both personal psychological resources and organizational resources to develop effective strategies to handle challenges like patient mistreatment [74]. In conclusion, this study proposes the following hypotheses:

H3

The moderating effect of organizational support on the relationship between social sharing of negative events and emotional exhaustion depends on trait resilience.

H4

The interaction between organizational support and trait resilience moderates the indirect effect of patient mistreatment on emotional exhaustion via the social sharing of negative work events.

We summarize our theoretical model in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1
figure 1

Hypothesized theoretical model

Full size image

Method

Participants and data collection procedures

Convenience sampling was employed in this study. We initiated a call for nursing mistreatment research based on the Hematology Specialty Alliance platform in Chongqing, a major city in Southwest China. Furthermore, we used one-on-one communication to invite the clinical department nurses to participate in the survey. The inclusion criteria for recruiting participants in our study were as follows:① Certified nurses; ② Clinical nursing positions; ③ Informed consent and voluntary participation. The exclusion criteria were as follows:① student nurses in rotation, ② student nurses on internships, ③ nursing residents in training programs, and④ off-duty nurses (on leave, sick leave, or attending external training).

To minimize the risks posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, this study employed a structured online questionnaire to facilitate ease of participation. To ensure the credibility and fairness of the collected data, all responses were submitted anonymously. The questionnaires were completed anonymously to ensure the acquisition of objective and unbiased data. The initial page of the questionnaire presented a clear statement of the study’s objectives and confidentiality of the responses. All questions were designed to be mandatory, and each unique IP address was allowed a single submission to uphold the integrity of the data and avoid duplicate entries. In preparation for the main study, a preliminary survey was conducted to validate the logic of the questions and the accuracy of their responses. The formal survey was conducted from October 9th, 2022 to November 1st, 2022. (Questionnaire link: https://wj.qq.com/mine.html), ultimately yielding 1627 valid responses.)

Measures

We employed the translation and back-translation processes recommended by Brislin [75] in both surveys prior to the administration. This was done to ensure the validity and appropriateness of all the scales in the Chinese context.

Patient mistreatment

We used the 18-item scale developed by Wang et al. [21] to measure patient mistreatment, replacing the word “customers” with “patients” in each item. The scale divides patient mistreatment into two dimensions: aggressive mistreatment and demand-oriented mistreatment. Participants rated the items on a five-point Likert scale from 1 = never to 5 = frequently. Example items were “Patients demanded special treatment,” “Patients spoke aggressively to you,” and “Patients asked you to do things even if they can do them themselves.” The Cronbach’s alpha of the scale was 0.953.

Social sharing of negative events

Social sharing of negative events scale was adapted from Gable et al. [76]. In the past month, participants were asked how often they had talked to significant others, other family members, friends, and colleagues about unpleasant things that had happened at work, creating a four-item scale. Responses ranged from 1 = never to 5 = often. Cronbach’s α coefficient was 0.862.

Emotional exhaustion

Emotional exhaustion was measured using the Chinese version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI), which was developed by Maslach and Jackson [77] and is the most widely used tool for evaluating job burnout. Emotional exhaustion included nine items, with sample items such as, “I feel emotionally drained from my work.” Responses ranged from 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree. All the items scored positively, with higher scores indicating greater emotional exhaustion. Cronbach’s α coefficient was 0.925.

Organizational support

In this study, we employed the Organizational Support Perception Scale originally developed and validated by Shen and Benson in 2016 [78] to assess the perceptions of organizational support. This scale consists of eight items (e.g. “My organization values my contributions to the organization”) and used a 7-point Likert scale. Among these items, four were positively worded and four were reverse-scored. Respondents indicated their agreement on a scale ranging from 1 = strongly disagree to 7 = strongly agree, with higher scores indicating a stronger perception of organizational support. Cronbach’s alpha for the scale was 0.907.

Resilience

We used the Brief Resilience Scale (BRS) developed by Smith et al. [79], which consists of six items. Sample items included statements such as “I tend to bounce back quickly after difficulties.” Responses ranged from 1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree. Three items scored positively and three scored negatively. It is specifically used to measure an individual’s ability to recover their health or well-being in response to stress. Cronbach’s α coefficient was 0.826.

Control variables

Sex, age, education, marital status, years of work, and sports were included as control variables to control for confounding effects on emotional exhaustion.

Data analysis

SPSS23.0 and Mplus7 were used for the statistical analysis. We adopted confirmatory factor analysis to test validity and common method variance. Additionally, we conducted a descriptive statistical analysis of the variables and analyzed each variable using the Pearson’s correlation test to comprehend the characteristics and correlations between the variables. We performed hierarchical regression analysis and conditional process analysis to examine the mediating and moderating effects. Moderating variables were mean-centered to construct the interaction term, mitigating potential multi-collinearity problems. In this study, patient mistreatment served as a predictor variable, social sharing of negative events as a mediator variable, organizational support and resilience as two moderators, and emotional exhaustion as the outcome variable.

Results

Participants

A total of 1627 valid responses were included after a strict review of the collected survey data. The majority of the participants were female (94.7%), while males accounted for only 5.3% of the sample, which is similar to the composition of nurses in other public hospitals in China. Most nurses (87.7%) were between 20 and 39 years old, with two under 20 years old, and 6.9% were over 40 years old. The participants’ years of work experience ranged from less than one year to 36 years, with an average of 9.26 years (SD = 6.40). The majority of nurses (62.6%) were married, and only 36.5% of the total participants reported exercise habits.

Common method variance

Data collected from a single source require querying for possible interference caused by common method variance (CMV). Harman’s single-factor method was used to detect the common method variance. The results of the exploratory factor analysis of the 45 items showed that there were seven factors with eigenvalues greater than 1, and the variance explanation rate of the first factor was 31.579% (< 50%). Therefore, the results suggested that CMV is not a significant problem in this study [80, 81].

Confirmatory factor analysis

We conducted confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) to assess the discriminant validity of the scale. As shown in Table 1, the five-factor model, consisting of patient mistreatment, social sharing of negative events, organizational support, resilience, and emotional exhaustion, demonstrated satisfactory discriminant validity and good fit (χ²/df = 11.276, RMSEA = 0.079, CFI = 0.819, TL = 0.809, SRMR = 0.057). Each variable had a factor loading greater than 0.600 and the internal consistency was good, indicating satisfactory reliability and validity of the scale.

Table 1 Confirmatory factor analysis results
Full size table

Descriptive statistics

Table 2 presents the means, standard deviations, and correlation coefficients for the variables used in this study. The correlation coefficients were consistent with our expectations, showing that patient mistreatment was significantly positively correlated with emotional exhaustion (r =.361, p <.01) and with the social sharing of negative events (r =.198, p <.01). Additionally, the social sharing of negative events was positively correlated with emotional exhaustion (r =.253, p <.01). Some of the hypotheses of this study were tentatively supported.

Table 2 Descriptive statistics and correlations
Full size table

The mediating role of social sharing of negative events

Hierarchical regression was used to test the relevant hypotheses and the results are presented in Table 3. Model 4 indicated a positive correlation between patient mistreatment and emotional exhaustion (β = 0.625, p <.001), which supported Hypothesis 1. The test for the mediating effect followed the recommended stepwise approach [82]. First, Model 2 revealed a significant positive correlation between patient mistreatment and the social sharing of negative events (β = 0.275, p <.001). Second, Model 5 showed that social sharing of negative events was positively correlated with emotional exhaustion (β = 0.264, p <.001). Finally, while the effect of patient mistreatment on the dependent variable, emotional exhaustion, remained significant (β = 0.552, p <.001), it was somewhat weaker (0.552 < 0.625) after introducing the mediating variable, suggesting a partial mediating effect.

Table 3 The mediating role of social sharing on the relationship between patient mistreatment and emotional exhaustion
Full size table

Following Preacher and Hayes [83], this study further tested the mediating effect of the social sharing of negative events on the relationship between patient mistreatment and emotional exhaustion. We employed the bias-corrected method with a sample size of 5000 and a 95% confidence interval to perform multiple mediating effect analysis using Process3.2, a software for conditional process analysis. The test results are presented in Table 4. The results showed that the indirect effect was 0.073, with a 95% confidence interval of [0.049, 0.100], demonstrating that the social sharing of negative events played a mediating role in the relationship between patient mistreatment and emotional exhaustion. Therefore, H2 was supported.

Table 4 Bootstrap test for mediating effect
Full size table

The combined moderating effect of organizational support and trait resilience

Table 5 presents the results of moderation analysis. In Model 2, both organizational support and resilience were found to be significantly negatively correlated with emotional exhaustion (βos=-0.348, p <.001; βre = − 0.569, p <.001). However, in Model 3, neither organizational support nor resilience showed any interaction with social sharing of negative events in predicting emotional exhaustion. Nevertheless, the three-way interaction between social sharing of negative events, organizational support, and resilience was significant in predicting emotional exhaustion and negatively correlated with emotional exhaustion (β=-0.051, p <.05), thus supporting H3. Figure 2 shows the results of the three-way interaction, in which it is evident that higher levels of organizational support and resilience weaken the positive impact of the social sharing of negative events on emotional exhaustion.

Table 5 The combined effect of organizational support and resilience on the relationship between social sharing of negative events and emotional exhaustion
Full size table
Fig. 2
figure 2

Simple slope test

Full size image

We also conducted a moderated mediation model in Process 3.2, using 95% bias-corrected bootstrap confidence interval analyses with 5,000 bootstrap samples to examine the moderating effect of the interaction term of organizational support and resilience on the mediating role of social sharing of negative events between patient mistreatment and emotional exhaustion. As shown in Table 6, the index of moderated moderated mediation was − 0.0152, which was statistically significant, with a 95% bias-corrected confidence interval of [-0.0286, − 0.0031]. Therefore, H4 was supported.

Table 6 Indices of conditional moderated mediation by organizational support
Full size table

Specifically, the 95% confidence interval for the indices of conditional moderated mediation was [-0.0120, 0.0240] for individuals with high resilience and [-0.0291, -0.0012] for those with low resilience. Therefore, H3 was supported, indicating that individual resilience served as a boundary condition for the moderating effect of organizational support on the relationship between the social sharing of negative events and emotional exhaustion.

Discussion

This study combined conservation of resources theory with goal progress theory to investigate the mediating role of the social sharing of negative events in the association between patient mistreatment and nurses’ emotional exhaustion. We also explored whether the moderating effect of organizational support on the relationship between the social sharing of negative events and emotional exhaustion depended on individual resilience. First, this study confirmed a significant positive correlation between nurses’ experiences of patient mistreatment and emotional exhaustion, which is consistent with previous studies [6, 7, 84,85,86]. The findings once again underscore the detrimental impact of patient mistreatment on nurses’ emotional and psychological well-being. Given that the rates of different forms and sources of aggression vary considerably between nations [3, 87], it is crucial to direct our attention towards the patient mistreatment experiences of nurses in China, especially in the post-epidemic era.

Second, this study revealed that the social sharing behavior of negative events mediates the relationship between patient mistreatment and emotional exhaustion. Previous studies have produced mixed findings regarding the impact of the social sharing of negative events on emotional exhaustion among employees or nurses [19,20,21]. However, limited research has examined the role of social sharing of negative emotions as a mediating mechanism between patient mistreatment and nurses’ emotional exhaustion. This study integrated the conservation of resources theory and goal progress theory to establish a theoretical foundation for the mediating model. It indicated that sharing negative work events was a strategy for nurses to cope with resource loss resulting from patient mistreatment. Meanwhile, rumination about negative events was closely associated with goal failure, thereby triggering emotional exhaustion among nurses.

Third, the interaction between resilience and organizational support served as a moderator in the relationship between the social sharing of negative events and emotional exhaustion. Studies have identified organizational support as a crucial resource for mitigating the negative effects of stressors [24]. However, our findings demonstrated that there was no significant two-way interaction between social sharing of negative events and organizational support in predicting emotional exhaustion. This finding is in line with some research on organizational support [25, 28], which suggested that organizational support may fail to alleviate the adverse effects of work stressors. Furthermore, this study responded to the call for conservation resources theory [28] to explore whether trait resilience serves as a boundary to the effectiveness of organizational support. The significant three-way interaction between the social sharing of negative events, organizational support, and trait resilience revealed that individuals with high levels of resilience will benefit from organizational support. Specifically, individuals with high resilience and organizational support showed lower levels of emotional exhaustion than those with low resilience and high organizational support. The implication for managers, therefore, was that organizational support alone cannot solve all problems. Instead, individualized organizational support should be considered in the light of nurses’ resilience.

Practical implications

The findings of this study have significant practical implications for medical management. First, the findings of this study once again validated the significant influence of patient mistreatment on nurses’ emotional exhaustion. Consequently, it is imperative for healthcare administrators to prioritize the establishment of a secure working environment for nurses while providing comprehensive training programs that could enhance their ability to react more effectively to navigate complex nurse-patient relationships. Second, the study further showed that the social sharing of negative events predicted emotional exhaustion among nurses. Therefore, finding ways to eliminate negative rumination originating from patient mistreatment is essential for reducing emotional exhaustion among nurses. Mindfulness thinking, meditation or psychological detachment from work are potential means that nurses could adopt to take a different perspective on negative events. Although the current study indicates that organizational support may not always be beneficial, we suggest that management consider developing workplace interventions that facilitate supportive relationships between organizations and nurses. Third, it is noted that the effect of organizational support depended on resilience. Resilience-related training programs may help nurses acquire psychological resources, enabling them to effectively navigate through mistreatment and adverse experiences. For instance, professional provider resilience training (PPRT) conducted by the medical department of the US military provides knowledge and skills to assist in stress management [88], such as developing positive cognition, emotional regulation, and mind-body techniques, which enhances the psychological resilience of medical professionals and alleviates fatigue and burnout.

Limitations and further study

This study has some limitations worth addressing. First, the study design was cross-sectional, which may have limited its ability to capture unexamined longitudinal associations. Thus, experience-sampling method should be employed to study the fluctuations of the relationship examined in this study on daily or week basis. Second, all variables investigated were self-reported, which may raise concerns regarding common method variance (CMV) [89]. Therefore, future studies should employ objective measures or measures reported by others to reduce same-source bias. Third, we found that the social sharing of negative events only partially mediated the relationship between patient mistreatment and emotional exhaustion. Further investigations should be conducted to explore other pathways linking patient mistreatment with nurses’ emotional exhaustion, as well as the moderating variables influencing these mediating mechanisms.

Conclusion

This study, involving 1672 healthcare nurses from public hospitals in Western China, revealed a notable prevalence of patient mistreatment, which led to emotional exhaustion among all participants. The findings of this study suggest that the sharing of negative events plays a mediating role in the relationship of patient mistreatment and the subsequent emotional drain experienced by nurses. These results serve as a critical alert to medical managers about the profound impact of negative emotional sharing within healthcare settings. Furthermore, the study highlights the importance of valuing and fostering certain personal traits of nurses, such as resilience, which can buffer the effects of patient mistreatment on emotional exhaustion, particularly when coupled with high levels of organizational support. Consequently, it is suggested to combine a supportive organizational culture in healthcare sector with training programs that aims to enhance nurses’ resilience.

Data availability

Data supporting the findings of this study are available upon request from the corresponding author.

References

  1. Wynne R, Clarkin N, Cox T, Griffith A. Guidance on the prevention of violence at work. Office for Official Publications of the European Communities; 1997.

  2. Goussinsky R. The moderating role of rumination and social sharing in the relationship between mistreatment and service sabotage and depersonalization: a cross-sectional study of hospital nurses. Int J Nurs Stud. 2020;110:103705. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2020.103705.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  3. Di Martino V. Workplace violence in the health sector. Country case studies Brazil, Bulgaria, Lebanon, Portugal, South Africa, Thailand and an additional Australian study. Ginebra: Organización Internacional del Trabajo; 2002. pp. 3–42.

    Google Scholar 

  4. Lim MC, Jeffree MS, Saupin SS, Giloi N, Lukman KA. Workplace violence in healthcare settings: the risk factors, implications and collaborative preventive measures. Annals Med Surg. 2022;78:103727. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amsu.2022.10372.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Hadi AA. Bully And Harassment In Healthcare Industry: What Are Our Roles In Prevention, Powerpoint Slides, 2019. https://www.aoemm.org.my/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/Bully-Harassment-in-Healthcare-Industry-What-are-Our-Roles-in-Prevention-.pdf (Accessed 14 February 2022).

  6. Liu B, Zhu N, Wang H, Li F, Men C. Protecting nurses from mistreatment by patients: a cross-sectional study on the roles of Emotional Contagion susceptibility and emotional regulation ability. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(12):6331. https://doi.org/10.3390/IJERPH18126331.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  7. Yan W, Bao N, Zheng S, Wang H, Yue D, Chen L. The impacts of patient mistreatment on healthcare workers’ role behaviors: a study in Chinese Fangcang shelter hospitals. BMC Nurs. 2023;22(1):444.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  8. Goussinsky R, Livne Y. (2016). Coping with interpersonal mistreatment: The role of emotion regulation strategies and supervisor support. Journal of nursing management, 24(8), 1109–1118. https://doi.org/10.1111/jonm.12415.

  9. Grandey A, Foo SC, Groth M, Goodwin RE. Free to be you and me: a climate of authenticity alleviates burnout from emotional labor. J Occup Health Psychol. 2012;17(1):1. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0025102.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  10. Bonner G, McLaughlin S. The psychological impact of aggression on nursing staff. Br J Nurs. 2007;16(13):810–4. https://doi.org/10.12968/bjon.2007.16.13.24248.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  11. Zampieron A, Galeazzo M, Turra S, Buja A. Perceived aggression towards nurses: study in two Italian health institutions. J Clin Nurs. 2010;19(15–16):2329–41. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2702.2009.03118.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  12. Ahmad M, Al-Rimawi R, Masadeh A, Atoum M. Workplace violence by patients and their families against nurses: literature review. Int J ofNursing Health Sci. 2015;2(4):46–55. http://www.openscienceonline.com/journal/ijnhs.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Choi S, Cheong K, Feinberg RA. Moderating effects of supervisor support, monetary rewards, and career paths on the relationship between job burnout and turnover intentions in the context of call centers. Managing Service Qual. 2012;22:492–516. https://doi.org/10.1108/09604521211281396.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Hobfoll SE. Conservation of resources: a new attempt at conceptualizing stress. Am Psychol. 1989;44(3):513. https://doi.org/10.1037//0003-066x.44.3.513.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  15. Hobfoll SE, Halbesleben J, Neveu JP, Westman M. Conservation of resources in the organizational context: the reality of resources and their consequences. Annual Rev Organizational Psychol Organizational Behav. 2018;5:103–28. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032117-104640.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  16. Hobfoll SE. The influence of culture, community, and the nested-self in the stress process: advancing conservation of resources theory. Appl Psychol. 2001;50(3):337–421. https://doi.org/10.1111/1464-0597.00062.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  17. Zech E, Rimé B, Nils F. Social sharing of emotion, emotional recovery, and interpersonal aspects. In: Philippot P, Feldman RS, editors. The regulation of emotion. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates; 2004. pp. 157–85.

  18. Spencer L. Social sharing of negative emotional events: whether or not sharing helps depends on the Listener’s response. The Pennsylvania State University; 2019.

  19. Delroisse S, Rimé B, Stinglhamber F. Quality of social sharing of emotions alleviates job burnout: the role of meaning of work. J Health Psychol. 2023;28(1):61–76. https://doi.org/10.1177/13591053221091039.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  20. Nolen-Hoeksema S, Larson J, Grayson C. Explaining the gender difference in depressive symptoms. J Personal Soc Psychol. 1999;77(5):1061. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.77.5.1061.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  21. Wang M, Liao H, Zhan Y, Shi J. Daily customer mistreatment and employee sabotage against customers: examining emotion and resource perspectives. Acad Manag J. 2011;54(2):312–34. https://doi.org/10.5465/amj.2011.60263093.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Martin LL, Tesser A. (1989). Toward a motivational and structural theory of ruminative thought.

  23. Martin LL, Tesser A. Some ruminative thoughts. Ruminative Thoughts. 1996;9(1996):1–47.

    Google Scholar 

  24. Zhao S, Liu H, Ma H, Jiao M, Li Y, Hao Y, Qiao H. Coping with workplace violence in healthcare settings: social support and strategies. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2015;12(11):14429–44. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph121114429.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  25. Mathieu M, Eschleman KJ, Cheng D. Meta-analytic and multiwave comparison of emotional support and instrumental support in the workplace. J Occup Health Psychol. 2019;24(3):387. https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000135.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  26. Nahum-Shani I, Bamberger PA, Bacharach SB. Social support and employee well-being: the conditioning effect of perceived patterns of supportive exchange. J Health Soc Behav. 2011;52(1):123–39. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022146510395024.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  27. Willemse BM, de Jonge J, Smit D, Depla MF, Pot AM. The moderating role of decision authority and coworker-and supervisor support on the impact of job demands in nursing homes: a cross-sectional study. Int J Nurs Stud. 2012;49(7):822–33. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2012.02.003.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  28. Egozi Farkash H, Lahad M, Hobfoll SE, Leykin D, Aharonson-Daniel L. Conservation of resources, psychological distress, and resilience during the Covid-19 pandemic. Int J Public Health. 2022;67:1604567. https://doi.org/10.3389/ijph.2022.1604567.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  29. Hahn S, Zeller A, Needham I, Kok G, Dassen T, Halfens RJ. Patient and visitor violence in general hospitals: a systematic review of the literature. Aggress Violent Beh. 2008;13(6):431–41. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2008.07.001.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Bourn J. A safer place to work: protecting NHS hospital and ambulance staff from violence and aggression. London: The National Audit Office; 2003.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Chappell D, Di Martino V. Violence at work. International Labour Organization; 2006.

  32. Wells J, Bowers L. How prevalent is violence towards nurses working in general hospitals in the UK? J Adv Nurs. 2002;39(3):230–40. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2648.2002.02269.x.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  33. Karaeminogullari A, Erdogan B, Bauer TN. Biting the hand that heals: mistreatment by patients and the well-being of healthcare workers. Personnel Rev. 2018;47(2):572–91. https://doi.org/10.1108/PR-03-2016-0054.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  34. Rupp DE, Spencer S. When customers lash out: the effects of customer interactional injustice on emotional labor and the mediating role of discrete emotions. J Appl Psychol. 2006;91(4):971. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.91.4.971.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  35. Groth M, Grandey A. From bad to worse: negative exchange spirals in employee–customer service interactions. Organizational Psychol Rev. 2012;2(3):208–33. https://doi.org/10.1177/2041386612441735.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  36. Lanctôt N, Guay S. The aftermath of workplace violence among healthcare workers: a systematic literature review of the consequences. Aggress Violent Beh. 2014;19(5):492–501. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2014.07.010.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  37. Viotti S, Gil-Monte PR, Converso D. Toward validating the Italian version of the Spanish burnout inventory: a preliminary study. Revista Da Escola De Enfermagem Da USP. 2015;49:819–25. https://doi.org/10.1590/S0080-623420150000500016.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  38. Demerouti E, Bakker AB, Nachreiner F, Schaufeli WB. A model of burnout and life satisfaction amongst nurses. J Adv Nurs. 2000;32(2):454–64. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2648.2000.01496.x.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  39. Bakker AB, Demerouti E. The job demands-resources model: state of the art. J Managerial Psychol. 2007;22(3):309–28. https://doi.org/10.1108/02683940710733115.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  40. Rimé B, Mesquita B, Boca S, Philippot P. Beyond the emotional event: six studies on the social sharing of emotion. Cognition Emot. 1991;5(5–6):435–65. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699939108411052.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  41. Rose AJ. Co–rumination in the friendships of girls and boys. Child Dev. 2002;73(6):1830–43. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.2002.73.issue-6.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  42. Consedine N, Strongman K, Magai C. Emotions and behaviour: data from a cross-cultural recognition study. Cogn Emot. 2003;17(6):881–902. https://doi.org/10.1080/02699930244000246.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  43. Burleson BR. The experience and effects of emotional support: what the study of cultural and gender differences can tell us about close relationships, emotion, and interpersonal communication. Personal Relationships. 2003;10(1):1–23. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6811.00033.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  44. Laurens F, Herbette G, Rimé B. (2000). Le partage social des épisodes émotionnels vécus en milieu hospitalier par le personnel infirmier [Social sharing of emotion among nurses working in the hospital]. Unpublished manuscrit, University of Louvain, Belgium.

  45. Lepore SJ, Ragan JD, Jones S. Talking facilitates cognitive–emotional processes of adaptation to an acute stressor. J Personal Soc Psychol. 2000;78(3):499. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.78.3.499.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  46. Clark MS, Finkel EJ. (2004). Does expressing emotion promote well-being? It depends on relationship context. The social life of emotions, 105–126. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511819568.007.

  47. Baranik LE, Wang M, Gong Y, Shi J. Customer mistreatment, employee health, and job performance: cognitive rumination and social sharing as mediating mechanisms. J Manag. 2017;43(4):1261–82. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206315580581.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  48. Hobfoll SE. (1988). The ecology of stress. Taylor & Francis. https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.2460050415.

  49. Hobfoll SE. Stress, culture, and community: the psychology and physiology of stress. New York: Plenum; 1998. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4899-0115-6.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  50. Hobfoll SE. Conservation of resource caravans and engaged settings. J Occup Organizational Psychol. 2011;84(1):116–22. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8325.2010.02016.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  51. Eisenberger R, Huntington R, Hutchison S, Sowa D. Perceived organizational support. J Appl Psychol. 1986;71(3):500. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.71.3.500.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  52. Westman M. Stress and strain crossover. Hum Relat. 2001;54(6):717–51. https://doi.org/10.1177/0018726701546002.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  53. Van Woerkom M, Mostert K, Els C, Bakker AB, De Beer L, Rothmann S Jr. Strengths use and deficit correction in organizations: development and validation of a questionnaire. Eur J Work Organizational Psychol. 2016;25(6):960–75.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  54. Bakker AB, Demerouti E, Euwema MC. Job resources buffer the impact of job demands on burnout. J Occup Health Psychol. 2005;10(2):170. https://doi.org/10.1037/1076-8998.10.2.170.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  55. Eisenberger R, Armeli S, Rexwinkel B, Lynch PD, Rhoades L. Reciprocation of perceived organizational support. J Appl Psychol. 2001;86(1):42. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.86.1.42.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  56. George JM, Brief AP. Feeling good-doing good: a conceptual analysis of the mood at work-organizational spontaneity relationship. Psychol Bull. 1992;112(2):310. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.112.2.310.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  57. Denney D, O’Beirne M. Violence to probation staff: patterns and managerial responses. Social Policy Adm. 2003;37(1):49–64. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9515.00323.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  58. Schat AC, Kelloway EK. Reducing the adverse consequences of workplace aggression and violence: the buffering effects of organizational support. J Occup Health Psychol. 2003;8(2):110. https://doi.org/10.1037/1076-8998.8.2.110.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  59. Wasco SM, Campbell R, Clark M. A multiple case study of rape victim advocates’ self-care routines: the influence of organizational context. Am J Community Psychol. 2002;30:731–60. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9515.00323.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  60. Verquer ML, Beehr TA, Wagner SH. A meta-analysis of relations between person–organization fit and work attitudes. J Vocat Behav. 2003;63(3):473–89. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0001-8791(02)00036-2.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  61. Bowling NA, Beehr TA. Workplace harassment from the victim’s perspective: a theoretical model and meta-analysis. J Appl Psychol. 2006;91(5):998. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.91.5.998.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  62. Deelstra JT, Peeters MC, Schaufeli WB, Stroebe W, Zijlstra FR, Van Doornen LP. Receiving instrumental support at work: when help is not welcome. J Appl Psychol. 2003;88(2):324. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.2.324.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  63. Dohrenwend BS. Social stress and community psychology. Am J Community Psychol. 1978;6(1):1. https://doi.org/10.1007/bf00890095.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  64. Luthens F, Avolio BJ. (2003). Authentic Leadership: a positive Developmental Approach. Posit Organizational Scholarsh San Francisco: Barrettt-Koehler, 241–61.

  65. Youssef CM, Luthans F. Positive organizational behavior in the workplace: the impact of hope, optimism, and resilience. J Manag. 2007;33(5):774–800. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206307305562.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  66. Lahad M. From victim to victor: the development of the BASIC PH model of co** and resiliency. Traumatology. 2017;23(1):27. https://doi.org/10.1037/trm0000105.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  67. Chen S, Westman M, Hobfoll SE. The commerce and crossover of resources: resource conservation in the service of resilience. Stress Health. 2015;31(2):95–105. https://doi.org/10.1002/smi.2574.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  68. Hobfoll SE, Stevens NR, Zalta AK. Expanding the science of resilience: conserving resources in the aid of adaptation. Psychol Inq. 2015;26(2):174–80. https://doi.org/10.1080/1047840x.2015.1002377.

    Article  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  69. Bonanno GA. Loss, trauma, and human resilience: have we underestimated the human capacity to Thrive after extremely aversive events? Am Psychol. 2004;59(1):20–8. https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.59.1.20.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  70. Wagnild GM, Young HM. Development and psychometric. J Nurs Meas. 1993;1(2):165–17847. https://doi.org/10.1891/1061-3749.25.3.400.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  71. Abolghasemi A, Varaniyab ST. Resilience and perceived stress: predictors of life satisfaction in the students of success and failure. Procedia-Social Behav Sci. 2010;5:748–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2010.07.178.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  72. Tung KS, Ning WW, Kris LEE. Effect of resilience on self-perceived stress and experiences on stress symptoms a surveillance report. Univers J Public Health. 2014;2(2):64–72. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujph.2014.020205.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  73. Halbesleben JR, Neveu JP, Paustian-Underdahl SC, Westman M. Getting to the COR understanding the role of resources in conservation of resources theory. J Manag. 2014;40(5):1334–64. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206314527130.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  74. Moodley J, Cooper D, Mantell JE, Stern E. Health care provider perspectives on pregnancy and parenting in HIV-positive individuals in South Africa. BMC Health Serv Res. 2014;14(1):1–8. https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-6963-14-384.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  75. Brislin RW. (1980). Translation and content analysis of oral and written materials. Methodology, 389–444.

  76. Gable SL, Reis HT, Impett EA, Asher ER. What do you do when things go right? The intrapersonal and interpersonal benefits of sharing positive events. J Personal Soc Psychol. 2004;87(2):228. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.87.2.228.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  77. Maslach C, Jackson SE, Leiter MP. Maslach burnout inventory. Scarecrow Education; 1997.

  78. Shen J, Benson J. When CSR is a social norm: how socially responsible human resource management affects employee work behavior. J Manag. 2016;42(6):1723–46. https://doi.org/10.1177/0149206314522300.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  79. Smith SE, Read DJ. Mycorrhizal symbiosis. Academic; 2010.

  80. Fuller CM, Simmering MJ, Atinc G, Atinc Y, Babin BJ. Common methods variance detection in business research. J Bus Res. 2016;69(8):3192–8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2015.12.008.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  81. Podsakoff PM, MacKenzie SB, Lee JY, Podsakoff NP. Common method biases in behavioral research: a critical review of the literature and recommended remedies. J Appl Psychol. 2003;88(5):879. https://doi.org/10.1037/0021-9010.88.5.879.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  82. Baron RM, Kenny DA. The moderator–mediator variable distinction in social psychological research: conceptual, strategic, and statistical considerations. J Personal Soc Psychol. 1986;51(6):1173. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-3514.51.6.1173.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  83. Preacher KJ, Hayes AF. Asymptotic and resampling strategies for assessing and comparing indirect effects in multiple mediator models. Behav Res Methods. 2008;40(3):879–91. https://doi.org/10.3758/brm.40.3.879.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  84. Dormann C, Zapf D. Customer-related social stressors and burnout. J Occup Health Psychol. 2004;9(1):61. https://doi.org/10.1037/1076-8998.9.1.61.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  85. Anjum MA, Liang D, Durrani DK, Parvez A. Workplace mistreatment and emotional exhaustion: the interaction effects of self-compassion. Curr Psychol. 2020;1–12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12144-020-00673-9.

  86. Kaur P, Islam N, Tandon A, Dhir A. Social media users’ online subjective well-being and fatigue: a network heterogeneity perspective. Technol Forecast Soc Chang. 2021;172:121039. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.121039.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  87. Estryn-Behar M, Van Der Heijden B, Camerino D, Fry C, Le Nezet O, Conway PM, Hasselhorn HM. Violence risks in nursing—results from the European ‘NEXT’study. Occup Med. 2008;58(2):107–14. https://doi.org/10.1093/occmed/kqm142.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  88. Adams S, Camarillo C, Lewis S, McNish N. Resiliency training for medical professionals. US Army Medical Department Journal; 2010.

  89. Podsakoff PM, Organ DW. Self-reports in organizational research: problems and prospects. J Manag. 1986;12(4):531–44.https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1177/014920638601200408

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors thank all participants who showed great patience in answering the questionnaire.

Funding

This study was supported by the National Social Science Foundation of China (Grant number: 19BJY052, 22BGL141), National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant number: 72110107002, 71974021), Natural Science Foundation of Chongqing (Grant number: cstc2021jcyj-msxmX0689), the Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities (Grant number: 2022CDJSKJC14), and Chongqing Social Science Planning Project (Grant number: 2018PY76).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Economics and Business Administration, Chongqing University, Chongqing, China

    Wei Yan & Xiu Chen

  2. Medical Insurance Office, Hospital of Chongqing University, Chongqing, China

    Di Xiao

  3. School of Medicine and Health Management, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Wuhan, China

    Huan Wang

  4. Development and Planning Department, Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China

    Huan Wang

  5. Medical Center of Hematology, Xinqiao Hospital, State Key Laboratory of Trauma, Burn and Combined Injury, Army Medical University, Chongqing, China

    Xin Du

  6. Human Resources Department, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Chongqing Medical University, Chongqing, China

    Li Li

  7. Department of Burn Plastic and Microsurgery, The No. 987 Hospital of Joint Logistic Support Force of PLA, Baoji, China

    Chunjuan Xu

  8. Xinqiao Hospital, Army Medical University, No. 83 Xinqiao Main Street, Shapingba District, Chongqing, China

    Caiping Song

Authors
  1. Wei Yan
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Xiu Chen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Di Xiao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Huan Wang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Xin Du
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Li Li
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Chunjuan Xu
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. Caiping Song
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Contributions

All authors contributed to the conception and design of the study. Study design, questionnaire collection, data acquisition were performed by WY, HW and CJX. Data analysis and the first draft of the manuscript was written by WY and XC. DX, XD, LL and CPS commented on the manuscript and revised it critically for important intellectual content.

Corresponding authors

Correspondence to Chunjuan Xu or Caiping Song.

Ethics declarations

Ethics approval and consent to participate

This study was approved by the Ethics Review Committee of the School of Economics and Business Administration, Chongqing University (IRB No. SEBA201906). All methods were carried out in accordance with relevant guidelines and regulation. Informed consent was obtained from all subjects.

Consent for publication

Not applicable.

Competing interests

The authors declare no competing interests.

Additional information

Publisher’s Note

Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

Rights and permissions

Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. The Creative Commons Public Domain Dedication waiver (http://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/) applies to the data made available in this article, unless otherwise stated in a credit line to the data.

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Yan, W., Chen, X., Xiao, D. et al. Patient mistreatment, social sharing of negative events and emotional exhaustion among Chinese nurses: the combined moderating effect of organizational support and trait resilience. BMC Nurs 23, 260 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-024-01924-x

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-024-01924-x

Keywords

BMC Nursing

ISSN: 1472-6955

Contact us