Association Between Workplace Gaslighting and Perceived Quality of Care, Patient Safety and Quiet Quitting: A Cross-Sectional Study Among Nurses in Greece

Background: Workplace gaslighting, as a form of psychological manipulation, may negatively affect nurses’ work behaviors and perception of care. However, its connection to perceived quality of care, patient safety and quiet quitting has not been sufficiently explored. Objectives: To examine the impact of workplace gaslighting on perceived quality of care, patient safety and quiet quitting in nurses. Methods: A cross-sectional study with a convenience sample was conducted in Greece. We used the Gaslighting at Work Scale and the Quiet Quitting Scale to measure workplace gaslighting and quiet quitting, respectively. We used IBM SPSS 28.0 to perform logistic regression analysis and linear regression analysis. Significance level was set at 0.05. Results: Mean age of nurses was 42.98 years, while females comprised 82.1% of them. More than half of our nurses (52.0%) evaluated the quality of care in their unit as good, while 33.1% perceived patient safety as good. A higher level of workplace gaslighting was significantly associated with lower odds of reporting perceived quality of care to be good or excellent. Increased workplace gaslighting was also associated with decreased odds of good-to-excellent patient safety. Moreover, workplace gaslighting was significantly and positively associated with quiet quitting. Conclusions: Our study supports the negative impact of workplace gaslighting on perceived quality of care, patient safety and quiet quitting. Establishment of clear policies and procedures that encourage staff to report such behaviors, is essential to dismantle the barriers created by psychological manipulation.