Job satisfaction and horizontal violence in hospital staff registered nurses: the mediating role of peer relationships.
OBJECTIVE
To describe the association between horizontal violence and job satisfaction in hospital staff registered nurses and the degree to which peer relationships mediates the relationship. Additionally, the association between nurse and work characteristics and job satisfaction were determined.


BACKGROUND
Horizontal violence is a major predictor of nurses' job satisfaction. Yet, not enough is known about the relationship between these variables. Job satisfaction is an important variable to study because it is a predictor of patient care quality and safety internationally. Peer relationships, a job satisfier for nurses, was identified as a potential mediator in the association between horizontal violence and job satisfaction.


METHODS
Cross-sectional mediational model testing.


METHODS
An anonymous four-part survey of a random sample of 175 hospital staff registered nurses working in California provided the data. Data about horizontal violence, peer relationships, job satisfaction, and nurse and work characteristics were collected between March-August 2010.


RESULTS
A statistically significant negative relationship was found between horizontal violence and peer relationships, job satisfaction and a statistically significant positive relationship was found between peer relationships and job satisfaction. Peer relationships mediated the association between horizontal violence and job satisfaction. Job satisfaction was reported as higher by nurses who worked in teaching hospitals. There were no statistically significant differences in job satisfaction based on gender, ethnicity, basic registered nurse education, highest degree held, size of hospital or clinical area.


CONCLUSIONS
The results suggest that peer relationships can attenuate the negative relationship between horizontal violence and job satisfaction. This adds to the extant literature on the relationship between horizontal violence and job satisfaction.


CONCLUSIONS
The findings highlight peer relationships as an important factor when considering effective interventions that foster hospital staff registered nurses' job satisfaction in the presence of horizontal violence.
School of Nursing and Health Professions, University of San Francisco (USF), San Francisco, CA, USA.
Christina
C
Purpora
University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), San Francisco, CA, USA.|University of Colorado, Denver, CO, USA.
Mary A
MA
Blegen
D002140:California; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006784:Hospitals, Teaching; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016294:Models, Nursing; D017008:Negotiating; D009741:Nursing Staff, Hospital; D010379:Peer Group; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D064450:Workplace Violence / Q000517:prevention & control*
horizontal violence; hospital staff registered nurses; job satisfaction; peer relationships