Influence of Workplace Bullying and Leader-Member Exchange on Turnover Intention among Nurses

Purpose: The purpose of this descriptive study was to identify the impact of workplace bullying and LMX (LeaderMember Exchange) on turnover intention among nurses. Methods: The participants were 364 nurses from the Seoul metropolitan area who were attending a continuing education program. A structured questionnaire was used for data collection and data were analyzed using the SPSS/Window program. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis was performed to verify the effect of variables on turnover intention. Results: Higher workplace bullying was associated with higher turnover intention. Workplace bullying was negatively correlated with leader-member exchange. The most influential factors for turnover intention were LMX (β=-7.22, p<.001), work load (β=2.96, p=.003), and workplace bullying (β=2.64, p=.009). These factors accounted for 28% of the variance in turnover intention. Conclusion: The study results indicate that there is need to develop strategies to prevent workplace bullying and cultivate a good relationship between nursing managers and nurses to lower nurses’ turnover intention.