Graduation Year

2014

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree

Ph.D.

Degree Granting Department

Psychology

Major Professor

Paul E. Spector

Committee Member

Michael Brannick

Committee Member

Winny Shen

Committee Member

Tiina Ojanen

Committee Member

Joseph Vandello

Keywords

engaged incivility, experienced sampling, nurse health, workplace incivility

Abstract

This dissertation used an experience sampling design to examine effects of experienced workplace incivility from three categories of organizational insiders (coworkers, supervisors, and physicians) and from organizational outsiders (patients and their visitors) on targets' emotions, burnout, physical symptoms, and their own uncivil behaviors toward each of the four groups of people. Data were collected from 75 nurses with each nurse responding to online surveys twice per week for 5 consecutive weeks. Results from hierarchical linear modeling showed that within individuals, negative emotions were positively associated with experienced workplace incivility (overall and source-specific), burnout was positively associated with overall workplace incivility and incivility from coworkers, and that physical symptoms were positively associated with experienced workplace incivility from supervisors. In addition, within individuals overall and source-specific experienced workplace incivility all positively predicted targets' own uncivil behaviors correspondingly. None of the proposed moderating effects of three between-person level personality traits (emotional stability, hostile attribution bias, and emotional competence) were supported, and the only significant moderating effect found was that emotional stability moderated the relationship between experienced workplace incivility from- and targets' own uncivil behaviors toward- supervisors was opposite to the prediction. Further, both violence prevention climate and civility climate showed main effects in negatively predicting participants' own uncivil behaviors, but only violence prevention and two of its dimensions (policies and procedures, and pressure for unsafe practices) buffered some of the negative effects of experienced workplace incivility. In summary, the current study found that within individuals experienced workplace incivility had negative effects on targets' emotions, well-being, and behaviors, and that perceived violence prevention climate buffered some of the negative effects.

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