# The Impact of Exploitative Leadership and Moral Disengagement on Nurses’ Work Withdrawal Behaviors: A Mediation Model Using the Partial Least Squares Approach

## TL;DR

Exploitative leadership increases nurses' work withdrawal behaviors, partly through moral disengagement, suggesting ethical leadership is key to improving patient care.

## Contribution

This study identifies moral disengagement as a mediator linking exploitative leadership to nurses' work withdrawal behaviors.

## Key findings

- Exploitative leadership significantly increases moral disengagement and work withdrawal behaviors.
- Moral disengagement mediates the relationship between exploitative leadership and work withdrawal.
- Healthcare organizations should promote ethical leadership to reduce job withdrawal and improve care quality.

## Abstract

Work withdrawal behaviors threaten patients’ safety and care quality. While exploitative leadership is a potential contributor to these negative behaviors, its impact remains underexplored in nursing context. Additionally, the mediating mechanism of moral disengagement in this association is understudied.

This research aimed to investigate the mediating function of moral disengagement in the linkage between exploitative leadership and work withdrawal behaviors, framed by social cognitive and social exchange theories.

This quantitative, cross‐sectional study included a convenience sample of 223 nurses recruited from two healthcare settings. Data were collected between February and April 2025 using an online survey comprising three validated and reliable scales in addition to demographic questionnaire. The proposed hypotheses were tested using the partial least square approach.

Exploitative leadership demonstrated a significant positive direct effect on both moral disengagement (β = 0.616, t = 17.798, p < 0.001) and work withdrawal behaviors (β = 0.421, t = 5.592, p < 0.001). Furthermore, moral disengagement had a significant positive effect on work withdrawal behaviors (β = 0.196, t = 2.365, p < 0.05). The indirect effect of exploitative leadership on work withdrawal behaviors, mediated by moral disengagement, was also significant (β = 0.121, t = 2.238, p < 0.05).

This research underscores the critical role of moral disengagement in elucidating how exploitative leadership fosters nurses’ job withdrawal behaviors. These results underscore the need for healthcare organizations to advocate for ethical leadership practices and address processes that compromise nurses’ moral involvement to enhance nurse retention and ensure high‐quality patient care.