Association Between Workplace Incivility and Mental Health, Quiet Quitting and Professional Life Among Nurses: Evidence from Greece

Background/Objectives: Although workplace incivility has received increasing scholarly attention, its consequences for nurses’ life remain insufficiently explored in existing literature. Thus, the aim of this study was to examine the association between workplace incivility and mental health, quiet quitting and professional life among nurses. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in Greece in May 2026. Validated instruments were employed to assess the study variables: (1) the Workplace Incivility Scale to evaluate levels of workplace incivility, (2) the Patient Health Questionnaire-4 to assess anxiety and depressive symptoms, (3) the Quiet Quitting Scale to measure quiet quitting behavior, (4) the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-3 to assess work engagement, (5) the Organizational-Based Self-Esteem Scale to evaluate organizational self-esteem, (6) the Single-Item Job Satisfaction measure to assess job satisfaction, (7) the Single-Item Burnout measure to assess burnout, and (8) a single item to assess turnover intention. Results: A significant positive association was observed between workplace incivility and both anxiety and depressive symptoms. Furthermore, multivariable linear regression analyses revealed significant positive associations between workplace incivility and the three dimensions of quiet quitting; detachment, lack of initiative, and lack of motivation. In addition, workplace incivility was positively associated with job burnout and turnover intention. Conversely, significant negative associations were identified between workplace incivility and work engagement, organizational-based self-esteem, and job satisfaction. Conclusions: Workplace incivility was associated with poorer mental health, higher levels of quiet quitting, and less favorable professional outcomes among nurses. Our findings support attention to the interpersonal climate of nursing units, while longitudinal and intervention studies are needed to determine whether reducing workplace incivility improves nurses’ mental health and professional outcomes.