A survey of the prevalence and predictors of workplace bullying towards the dental hygienist

OBJECTIVE/PURPOSE

Given the lack of research within dentistry as it relates to workplace bullying (WPB), the purpose of this study was to explore the prevalence of WPB and predictors of WPB for dental hygienists in clinical practice.

METHODS

Cross-sectional survey research was used with a convenience sample of dental hygienists (n = 943) providing patient care to explore WPB. Ninety-three per cent of participants resided in the United States, and 6.9% lived internationally. The survey was shared via social media on Facebook and Instagram group pages, specifically dental focussed. The validated Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised (NAQ-R) was used to measure the exposure WPB using descriptive, correlation, chi-square and Mann-Whitney U.

RESULTS

The completion rate was 81% (n = 765). Results showed 21% of participants had experienced WPB now and then, 9.4% several times a week and 2.9% almost daily. Predictors for WPB included highest degree earned (p = -0.03), US (United States) region of residence (p = 0.001), clinical setting (private practice vs. dental service organization) (p < 0.001), clinical years of experience (p = 0.002) and work status (full- or part-time) (p = 0.02).

CONCLUSIONS

The findings confirmed WPB has been experienced by 1 in 5 clinical dental hygienists. Dental hygienists in their early years are more likely to have reported workplace bullying than those with more years of practice. WPB is not a new phenomenon, but given the prevalence observed in dental hygiene participants, employers need to be active in preventing and managing bullying to create and maintain an effective dental team and positive work environment.