Influence of Direct Supervisors’ Attitude on Depression among Nurses: Analysis of the Korean Working Conditions Survey

Abstract

Background: We aimed to examine the influence of a direct supervisor’s attitude on depression among nurses.

Methods: This was a secondary analysis of data from the fifth Korean Working Conditions Survey, which collected information from 467 registered nurses in Seoul, South Korea. Descriptive statistics and the Rao–Scott test were performed to determine the difference between general and work-related characteristics according to whether the nurses were depressed or not. Multiple logistic regression analysis was performed by adjusting for covariates to analyze the association between the attitude of the direct supervisor’s behavior and depression among nurses.

Results: Logistic regression analysis revealed a significant association between the direct supervisor’s attitude and depressive symptoms in nurses. After multivariable adjustment, compared with the group with the most positive supervisor attitudes, the odds ratios for depressive symptoms in groups with increasingly negative perceptions of supervisor attitudes were 2.615 (95% CI: 0.96–7.12), 2.921 (95% CI: 1.64–13.29), and 4.844 (95% CI: 1.46–12.18), respectively. The results showed that the direct supervisor’s negative attitude was positively associated with the nurse’s depressive symptoms.

Conclusion: Negative supervisor attitudes are significantly associated with depression in nurses. Effective strategies and policies, such as a zero-tolerance policy against negative disrespectful attitudes and behavior in the hospital and proper management of the direct supervisor’s attitude, are needed to reduce the risk of depression among nurses. Interventions aimed at reducing nurses’ depressive symptoms are suggested as an effective way to prevent and manage their depressive symptoms.