Our cross-sectional survey examined the turnover intentions of nurses experiencing verbal abuse in veterans hospitals from patients and caregivers. We also verified the mediating effects of resilience and perceived organizational support in this relat...
Our cross-sectional survey examined the turnover intentions of nurses experiencing verbal abuse in veterans hospitals from patients and caregivers. We also verified the mediating effects of resilience and perceived organizational support in this relationship. Our survey included 195 nurse participants with at least one year of clinical experience, who were conveniently sampled from general wards, integrated nursing–care service wards, intensive care units, and emergency departments of three veterans hospitals located in three metropolitan cities (Daejeon, Busan, Daegu) in Korea. Using a structured self-administered questionnaire, we collected data from August 1 to September 15, 2025. We analyzed the collected data using IBM SPSS Statistics 30.0 for descriptive statistics, independent t-tests, one-way ANOVA with Scheffé post hoc tests, and Pearson’s correlation analyses. Mediation effects were tested using the Hayes’s(2022) PROCESS macro v4.2 (Model 4) with 5000 bootstrap samples and 95% confidence intervals, controlling for gender, verbal abuse training.
The main results are as follows:
1. On a 5-point scale, the mean score for perceived verbal abuse experience was 2.76±0.60, turnover intention was 3.09±0.62, resilience was 3.76±0.41, and perceived organizational support was 3.27±0.67.
2. In the analysis of differences based on general characteristics, the experience of verbal abuse differed significantly by gender (t=1.99, p=.048) and total nursing career(F=2.91, p=.036), turnover intention differed by gender(t=2.47, p=.014) and whether participants had received verbal abuse training(t=2.54, p=.012), and resilience differed by age(F=3.95, p=.021), and perceived organizational support differed by gender(Z=−2.42, p=.015).
3. Turnover intention was positively correlated with verbal abuse experience(r=.42, p<.001) but was negatively correlated with perceived organizational support(r=−.33, p<.001). Verbal abuse experience was negatively correlated with perceived organizational support(r=−.19, p=.007). In contrast, resilience was not significantly correlated with turnover intention(r=−.10, p=.173) or verbal abuse experience(r=.02, p=.816). Resilience and perceived organizational support were positively correlated(r=.43, p<.001).
4. In the relationship between verbal abuse experience and turnover intention, mediation analysis showed a partial mediating effect by the significant indirect effect of perceived organizational support(B=.021, 95% CI=.003~.042). In contrast, the indirect effect of resilience (B=.000, 95% CI=-.006~.004) was not significant, with no mediating effect.
From our results, we conclude that perceived organizational support has a partial mediating effect on the relationship between verbal abuse experience and turnover intention. To prevent turnover among nurses in veterans hospitals, it is essential not only to foster an organizational culture that reduces verbal abuse but also to establish policy-level interventions that enhance perceived organizational support and simultaneously strengthen the resilience of nurses.