Association Between Perceived Negative Workplace Gossip, Mental Health and Professional Life Among Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Study in Greece

Background/Objectives: Negative workplace gossip has been linked to nurses’ mental health and professional life. The aim of this study was to examine the association between perceived negative workplace gossip, mental health and professional life among nurses. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Greece during May 2026. We used validated scales to measure the study variables: Perceived Negative Workplace Gossip Scale, Patient Health Questionnaire-4, Quiet Quitting Scale, Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-3, Organization-Based Self-Esteem Scale, Single-Item Job Satisfaction measure, and Single-Item Burnout measure. Also, we used a single-item measure to examine nurses’ turnover intention. Results: We found a significant positive association between perceived negative workplace gossip and both anxiety (p = 0.012), and depression symptoms (p < 0.001). Moreover, multivariable linear regression analysis identified a positive association between perceived negative workplace gossip and three dimensions of quiet quitting; (1) detachment (p = 0.001), (2) lack of initiative (p < 0.001), and (3) lack of motivation (p < 0.001). Also, we found a positive association between perceived negative workplace gossip and job burnout (p = 0.009). Multivariable linear regression analysis showed a negative association between perceived negative workplace gossip and work engagement (p < 0.001), organization-based self-esteem (p < 0.001), and job satisfaction (p < 0.001). Additionally, multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that higher level of perceived negative workplace gossip was associated with higher odds of turnover intention (p = 0.001). Conclusions: Perceived negative workplace gossip showed statistically significant but small associations with anxiety, depression, quiet quitting, work engagement, organization-based self-esteem, job satisfaction, job burnout, and turnover intention. Given the cross-sectional design, these associations do not establish causality. Our results support attention to the relational climate of nursing units, while longitudinal and intervention studies are needed to determine whether reducing negative workplace gossip improves nurses’ mental health and professional outcomes.