Mobbing against nurses in the workplace in Turkey S.Y. Efe 1 MSN & S. Ayaz 2 PhD 1 Specialist, 2 Assistant Professor, Nursing Department, Gazi University Faculty of Health Sciences, Ankara, Turkey EFE S.Y.& AYAZ S.(2010) Mobbing against nurses in the workplace in Turkey. International Nursing Review 57, 328–334 Aim: The aim of the study was to determine whether the nurses have been exposed to mobbing or not, and to reveal the causes of the mobbing between 3 November 2008 and 31 December 2008. Methods: This research was a mixed method study involving survey and focus group interviews. The sample was calculated using sample calculation formula, and 206 nurses were included in the survey study. Four focus group interviews were later carried out with 16 nurses. The survey method and semi-structured question form were used to collect data. The percentage and chi-square were used to evaluate the quantitative data, and for the analysis of the qualitative data, descriptive analyses were made through direct quotations from the nurses’ statements. Findings: According to the mobbing scale, 9.7% of the nurses had been exposed to mobbing, but according to their own declarations, 33% had been exposed. Some of the nurses (25.2%) who expressed that they had been exposed to mobbing reported that the executor of mobbing was the head nurse and 9.2% said that the reason for mobbing was‘communication problems’. Nurses under 25 years of age and those who work in intensive care units are apparently exposed to mobbing more frequently than others (P < 0.05). Conclusions: It is suggested that head nurses’ mobbing behaviours should be determined and they should be educated about leadership. Nurses should be educated about assertiveness to prevent mobbing. The necessary measures should be adopted to solve the‘communication problems’, which are shown as a major reason for mobbing. Keywords: Harassment, Mobbing, Nurse, Turkey, Workplace Introduction Mobbing is the activity of a person to force someone out of the workplace through rumour, innuendo, intimidation, humilia- tion, discrediting and isolation (Davenport et al. 2003). Emo- tional harassment behaviours are difficult to determine because they are mostly psychological rather than physical. They are composed of numerous systematic events that are very small and can be unimportant and meaningless when considered in isola- tion. Usually, the executor is not a single person, and the activity is usually prepared secretly, behind closed doors. For this reason, the verification of mobbing is practically impossible. However, the victim’s quitting work, making big mistakes or giving extreme reactions because of pressure happen publicly (Baykal 2005). In recent years, people who work in the education, social ser- vices and health-care sectors have been increasingly exposed to emotional pressure, both in developed and developing countries (Chappell & Di Martino 2006). Hospitals are crowded and intense workplaces. Hard working conditions, shift working, insufficient wages (especially in government institutions) and injustices in profession advancement can trigger emotional harassment (Davenport et al. 2003). Research shows that nurses Correspondence address: Sultan Ayaz, Gazi Üniversitesi Sag ˘lık Bilimleri Fakültesi Hems ¸irelik Bölümü, 06500 Bes ¸evler, Ankara, Turkey; Tel: 0090-312216-26-23; Fax: 0090-312216-26-36; E-mail: sultan@gazi.edu.tr. Original Article © 2010 The Authors. International Nursing Review © 2010 International Council of Nurses 328