Nurses face significantly higher rates of workplace incivility and suicide risk than the general population. However, the magnitude of this association remains unquantified empirically. This study aims to determine the association between nurses' experiences of workplace incivility and suicidal ideation, and to explore the independent, cumulative, and pattern-specific associations between incivility from various sources and suicidal ideation.
Cross-sectional study.
This cross-sectional study employed convenience sampling to enroll 2337 eligible nurses, who provided valid responses during July–August 2024. Suicidal ideation was assessed using two items from the National Comorbidity Survey, and the workplace incivility was assessed by the Nursing Incivility Scale. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine overall, independent, cumulative, and latent-profile-analysis-derived associations between workplace incivility experiences and suicidal ideation.
Workplace incivility experience significantly elevated risk of suicidal ideation after adjustment for confounders. Nurse-initiated workplace incivility demonstrated the strongest association with elevated suicidal ideation risk, surpassing workplace incivility from other sources including physicians and patients. A dose–response relationship was also observed between cumulative workplace incivility experience among nurses and increased risk of suicidal ideation. Nurses in the “high incivility” pattern and “patient and physician incivility” pattern exhibited a higher risk of suicidal ideation compared to nurses in the “low incivility” pattern.
Nurses experiencing workplace incivility demonstrate a heightened risk of suicidal ideation.
Workplace incivility experienced by nurses was associated with an increased risk of suicidal ideation. Medical institutions and nursing managers are encouraged to consider workplace incivility in routine screening and intervention efforts for suicide prevention.