# Lateral violence and turnover ideation in nurses: multiple mediating roles of coping styles and psychological resilience

## TL;DR

This study explores how lateral violence among nurses affects their desire to leave their jobs, with coping styles and psychological resilience playing key roles in this relationship.

## Contribution

The study identifies chain-mediating effects of psychological resilience and coping styles on the relationship between lateral violence and turnover intention in nurses.

## Key findings

- Lateral violence is positively correlated with turnover intention and negative coping, and negatively with psychological resilience and positive coping.
- Psychological resilience partially mediates the effect of lateral violence on turnover intention through negative coping.
- A chain-mediating model involving psychological resilience and negative coping explains the relationship between lateral violence and turnover intention.

## Abstract

To explore the relationship between nurses’ Lateral violence and turnover intentions, and the chain-mediating effects of psychological resilience and coping styles.

A total of 281 nurses were recruited in this cross-sectional study. The questionnaire consisted of sections on lateral violence, psychological resilience, coping styles and turnover intentions. Descriptive correlation studies examined the relationships among the research variables, while structural equation modeling tested the validity of the proposed theoretical framework.

Lateral violence was positively correlated with turnover intention (r = 0.517, p < 0.05) and negative coping (r = 0.445, p < 0.01), and was negatively associated with psychological resilience (r = −0.319, p < 0.05) and positive coping (r = −0.272, p < 0.05). The effect of psychological resilience on turnover intentions was partially mediated by negative coping. Psychological resilience and negative coping styles formed a concurrent and sequential chain-mediating role between lateral violence and turnover intention.

These findings reveal significant associations among lateral violence, psychological resilience, coping styles, and turnover intention. The structural equation model highlights the explanatory role and mediating effects of psychological resilience and coping strategies in the relationship between lateral violence and turnover intention. It is suggested that assessing nurses’ psychological resilience and reducing negative coping strategies could be considered as potential approaches within health management to address the observed link between lateral violence and turnover intention.