Mitigating workplace bullying through authentic leadership: Evidence from hospital nurses in Jordan

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