Date of Conferral

2015

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Public Health

Advisor

Daniel Roysden

Abstract

The study's purpose is evaluating the relationship between locus of control and selfesteem

in relation to the registered nurse's experience and perception with lateral and

vertical incivility. There is a lack of research concerning nurse-to-nurse incivility within

the nursing profession. The hypothesis examined whether dynamics of locus of control

and self-esteem could provide insight into the personality dynamics influencing incivility

in the workplace. This non-experimental quantitative study used 2 self-evaluation tools

and 1 demographic survey tool to collect data via Survey Monkey, a commercial data

collection company. Participants were 65 randomly selected faculty (n = 36) and

graduate students (n = 29) from schools of nursing in Southern California, all active

practitioners. Descriptive statistics provided the demographic data and RNs' experience

of incivility analysis. Inferential statistics, t-test, and Pearson's correlation analyzed the

relationships between study variables. Study results indicated no significant negative

relationship between RNs' perceived experience with lateral and vertical incivility, and

RNs' level of self-esteem and locus of control. Participants indicated a greater than 80%

experience with incivility in the work place either directed at the participant or towards a

colleague. The study results will be of interest to health provider managers as a means of

insight into the pervasiveness of incivility in the workforce. The study indicated the

problem of professional incivility is widely encountered, it rules out the hypotheses that

self-esteem and locus of control are related to the problem, and it encourages the need for

further study as to the etiology and dynamics of the problem.

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