- Title
- Determining the optimal cut-off scores for the workplace bullying inventory
- Creator
- Hutchinson, Marie; Bradbury, Joanne; Browne, Graeme; Hurley, John
- Relation
- Nurse Researcher Vol. 25, Issue 3, p. 46-50
- Publisher Link
- http://dx.doi.org/10.7748/nr.2017.e1543
- Publisher
- RCNi
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2017
- Description
- Background: Over the past two decades, there has been considerable research into workplace bullying. One area that remains poorly developed is a tool with the capacity to accurately differentiate between exposed and unexposed employees. Aim: To determine optimal cut-off scores for the Workplace Bullying Inventory (WBI) that accurately classify cases of exposure to workplace bullying. Discussion: Secondary analysis of data collected from Australian public sector employees ( n =2,197) was conducted. Receiver operator characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used with a minimum sensitivity of 80%, to determine those scores on the WBI that corresponded with the highest accuracy of the tool to distinguish cases from non-cases. The results suggest using a cut score of 29 from the total score on the WBI (possible range: 18-90). When compared to a sum-score from a single dichotomous self-report variable, the cut-off score estimated a more conservative bullying rate. The single-item rate was potentially inflated by misconceptions about what constitutes bullying in the workplace. Conclusion: Employing validated cut-off points for exposure provides an objective threshold for establishing exposure to workplace bullying. The results of the analysis provide a more rigorous approach to quantifying exposure to workplace bullying, in a tool that has been designed and tested in the nursing workforce. This is the first such tool with empirically-derived, discriminant accuracy. Implications for practice: It is common for nurse researchers to employ sum-scores from single items to identify exposure to workplace bullying. By providing reliable cut-off points for exposure, this study offers standardised, diagnostic accuracy for researchers, clinicians and managers.
- Subject
- classification; nursing research; nursing workforce; ROC analysis; sensitivity; specificity; workplace bullying
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1385762
- Identifier
- uon:32288
- Identifier
- ISSN:1351-5578
- Language
- eng
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