Author

Author Type

Graduate Student

Date of Award

2007

Document Type

Dissertation

Publication Status

Version of Record

Submission Date

October 2026

Thesis/Dissertation Advisor [Chair]

Liehr, Patricia

Abstract

It is estimated that there will be a 20% shortage of full time equivalent registered nurses (RN) by 2015. Retention of nurses is a priority in health care, so a better understanding of factors that contribute to job satisfaction and intent to leave is needed. One possible factor is the quality of the interpersonal relationships that occur among managers, peers, and nurses. A negative quality would be acts of hostility or horizontal violence, which is nurse-to-nurse aggression. This is theorized to be a result of oppressed group behavior. These behaviors may influence job satisfaction and the intent to stay on the job and in the profession. The overall purpose of the study was to explore relationships between horizontal violence, oppressed group behavior, job satisfaction and intent to leave a position or nursing in the next 12 months. This pilot study examined factors that influence registered nurses ' job satisfaction and intent to leave a position or nursing. Convenience sampling was used to obtain the sample of registered nurses from a BSN completion program and a Novice Nurse Initiative Program (n=99). Written stories of conflict between nurses were obtained and analyzed with linguistic analysis and word count (LIWC) software and various standardized instruments were used including the Nurses Workplace Behavior Scale (NWBS), the Organizational Climate for Caring Scale (OCCS), the Peer Group Caring Interaction Scale (PGCIS), The McCloskey/Mueller Satisfaction Scale (MMSS) and two visual analogue scales (VAS). Significant relationships were found between job satisfaction and intent to stay in a position and nursing (p<.01), oppressed group behavior and intent to stay in nursing (p<.01), oppressed group behavior and job satisfaction (p<.01). Manager and peer caring behaviors were related to intent to stay in a position and nursing (p<.01). Using stepwise multiple regression, both manager and peer caring behaviors were found to influence the relationship between job satisfaction and intent to stay in a position or nursing. The findings of this study suggest that the quality of interpersonal relationships between managers, peers and nurses can influence job satisfaction and intent to stay in a position or nursing.

Extent

118 p.

Comments

Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing|Dissertation (Ph.D.)--Florida Atlantic University, 2007.|Christine E. Lynn College of Nursing

Identifier

FA00000622

Format

pdf

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