Emotional Exhaustion And Turnover Intention As Mediators Between Abusive Supervision And Workplace Deviant Behavior Among Nurses In Private Hospitals In Bangladesh



Volume 12, Issue 1
Rashed Mahmud Shakil, Md Raisul Islam, Md. Masum Miah, Sheikh Azmir Farhan

Published online: 19 August 2026
Article Views: 20
 
AbstractReferencesCite
This study is designed to explore the association between abusive supervision (AS) and workplace deviant behavior (WDB) of the registered nurse in private hospitals of Bangladesh. This study examines the mediating effects of emotional exhaustion (EE) and turnover intention (TI) on explaining psychological and behavioral pathways of how abusive supervisory practices relate to nurses’ workplace behaviors. The method used was quantitative research based on survey data obtained from 355 registered nurses working in private hospitals of Bangladesh. The data were obtained from a structured questionnaire containing validated measurement scales. The proposed model is tested by using partial least squares approach with SPSS to test the direct and indirect relationship among study variables. The results indicated that the effects of AS on nurses’ EE and TI were significant and positive. EE and TI were both shown to have positive influences on WDB. Additionally, the study findings confirmed that EE and TI significantly mediate the relationship between AS and WDB, suggesting two distinct paths by which supervisory mistreatment affects nurses’ behaviors. The study gives significant implications for hospital administrators, human resource managers, healthcare practitioners and policymakers. The results can help inform the creation of positive leadership practices, non-abusive supervision policies, employee wellness programs, and retention systems. These interventions can potentially reduce WDB, improve nurses’ psychological health and service quality in private healthcare providers. The purpose of this study is to develop and empirically test a dual-mediation analysis of how AS results in WDB via psychological depletion and withdrawal intentions. The research combines Social Exchange Theory and Conservation of Resources Theory to advance the knowledge on the outcomes of AS in the under-researched setting of private hospitals in Bangladesh.

  1. Ahmad, I., & Begum, K. (2023). Impact of abusive supervision on intention to leave: a moderated mediation model of organizational-based self esteem and emotional exhaustion. Asian Business & Management, 22(2), 669–688. doi:10.1057/s41291-020-00116-0
  2. Ahmed, A. K., Atta, M. H. R., El-Monshed, A. H., & Mohamed, A. I. (2024). The effect of toxic leadership on workplace deviance: the mediating effect of emotional exhaustion, and the moderating effect of organizational cynicism. BMC Nursing, 23(1), 669. doi:10.1186/s12912-024-02308-x
  3. Aljaier, O., Alzubi, A., Khadem, A., & Iyiola, O. (2025). Exploring the impact of workplace hazing on deviant behavior in the hospitality sector: The roles of emotional exhaustion and hope and optimism. Behavioral Sciences, 15(2), 129. doi:10.3390/bs15020129
  4. Anderson, J. C., & Gerbing, D. W. (1988). Structural equation modeling in practice: A review and recommended two-step approach. Psychological Bulletin, 103(3), 411–423. doi:10.1037/0033-2909.103.3.411
  5. Blau, P. M. (1964). Power and exchange in social life. John Wiley & Sons.
  6. Bougie, R., & Sekaran, U. (2019). Research methods for business: A skill building approach (8th ed.). John Wiley & Sons.
  7. Déprez, G. R. M., Battistelli, A., & Vandenberghe, C. (2024). Linking proactive behavior and constructive deviance to affective commitment and turnover intention: the mediating role of idea championing. Journal of Management & Organization, 30(4), 817–839. doi:10.1017/jmo.2021.54
  8. Endratno, H., Adawiyah, W. R., & Purnomo, R. (2023). Workplace ostracism, emotional exhaustion, and deviant behavior: The moderating role of workplace spirituality. The Journal of Behavioral Science, 18(3), 17–32.
  9. Faheem, M. A., Ali, H. Y., Akhtar, M. W., & Asrar-ul Haq, M. (2023). Turn the table around: workplace incivility, coworker deviance, turnover intentions and nurses’ job performance. Kybernetes, 52(9), 3085–3101. doi: 10.1108/K-09-2021-0837
  10. Farrukh, M., Abas, B., Ghazzawi, I., & Rafiq, M. (2025). From bad bosses to weakened marriages: the role of abusive supervision in emotional exhaustion, work–family conflict and marital strain. Management Decision, 63(7), 2597–2615. doi:10.1108/MD-01-2024-0198
  11. Hair, J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2017). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (pls-sem) (2nd ed.). SAGE Publications.
  12. Hair, J. F., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2011). Pls-sem: Indeed a silver bullet. Journal of Marketing Theory and Practice, 19(2), 139–152. doi:10.2753/MTP1069-6679190202
  13. Hair, J. F., Sarstedt, M., Hopkins, L., & Kuppelwieser, V. G. (2014). Partial least squares structural equation modeling (pls-sem): An emerging tool in business research. European Business Review, 26(2), 106–121. doi:10.1108/EBR-10-2013-0128
  14. Henseler, J., Hubona, G., & Ray, P. A. (2016). Using pls path modeling in new technology research: updated guidelines. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 116(1), 2–20. doi:10.1108/IMDS-09-2015-0382
  15. Henseler, J., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2015). A new criterion for assessing discriminant validity in variance-based structural equation modeling. Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, 43(1), 115–135. doi:10.1007/s11747-014-0403-8
  16. Hobfoll, S. E. (1989). Conservation of resources: A new attempt at conceptualizing stress. American Psychologist, 44(3), 513–524. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.44.3.513
  17. Hong, Y., Chen, M., Chen, C., & Qiu, M. (2024). Abusive supervision and nursing students’ intention to leave the nursing profession: a moderated mediation model of emotional exhaustion and the nurse-patient relationship. BMC Nursing, 23(1), 361. doi:10.1186/s12912-024-02025-5
  18. Ilyas, A., Gulraiz, M., Zubair, Z., Khan, A. H., & Munir, W. (2025). Unraveling the impact of abusive supervision on emotional exhaustion: A serial mediation model of stress, relational conflict, and toxic workplaces. Social Science Review Archives, 3(1), 2109–2130. doi:10.70670/sra.v3i1.521
  19. Korir, K. E., Kemboi, A., & Bonuke, R. (2022). Psychological contract violation and workplace deviance: The mediating effect of turnover intention. British Journal of Management and Marketing Studies, 5(3), 98–115. doi:10.52589/BJMMS49IM12WM
  20. Madan, P., Srivastava, S., & Gupta, B. (2026). Pathways from supervisor incivility to workplace deviance: the mediating role of emotional exhaustion and supervisor-targeted aggression. Journal of Organizational Effectiveness: People and Performance, 13(1), 20–45. doi:10.1108/JOEPP-07-2024-0302
  21. Mahmood, A., Seth, M., Srivastava, S., Jain, A. K., & Laaser, K. (2024). A study on abusive supervision–turnover intention relationship: a mediated moderated model of voice behavior and workplace friendship. Leadership & Organization Development Journal, 45(8), 1315–1334. doi:10.1108/LODJ-10-2023-0596
  22. Malik, O. F., Jawad, N., Shahzad, A., & Waheed, A. (2023). Longitudinal relations between abusive supervision, subordinates’ emotional exhaustion, and job neglect among pakistani nurses: the moderating role of selfcompassion. Current Psychology, 42(31), 26945–26965. doi:10.1007/s12144-022-03817-1
  23. Maslach, C., & Jackson, S. E. (1981). The measurement of experienced burnout. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 2(2), 99–113. doi:10.1002/job.4030020205
  24. Michaels, C. E., & Spector, P. E. (1982). Causes of employee turnover: A test of the mobley, griffeth, hand, and meglino model. Journal of Applied Psychology, 67(1), 53–59. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.67.1.53
  25. Mitchell, M. S., & Ambrose, M. L. (2007). Abusive supervision and workplace deviance and the moderating effects of negative reciprocity beliefs. Journal of Applied Psychology, 92(4), 1159–1168. doi:10.1037/0021-9010.92.4.1159
  26. Penney, L. M., & Spector, P. E. (2005). Job stress, incivility, and counterproductive work behavior (cwb): The moderating role of negative affectivity. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 26(7), 777–796. doi:10.1002/job.336
  27. Preacher, K. J., & Hayes, A. F. (2008). Asymptotic and resampling strategies for assessing and comparing indirect
    effects in multiple mediator models. Behavior Research Methods, 40(3), 879–891. doi:10.3758/BRM.40.3.879
  28. Qi, L., Chaudhary, N. I., Yao, K., Mirza, F., & Khalid, R. (2022). The moderating role of transformational leadership on the relationship between deviant workplace behaviors and employee turnover intentions in china. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 1005055. doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1005055
  29. Rahman, M. M. (2024). The interplay of abusive supervision and coworker incivility on the turnover intention of frontliners: a mediation effect of work stress. Asia-Pacific Journal of Business Administration, 16(4), 876–897. doi:10.1108/APJBA-11-2022-0500
  30. Ringle, C. M., Sarstedt, M., & Straub, D. (2012). A critical look at the use of pls-sem in mis quarterly. MIS Quarterly, 36(1), iii–xiv. doi:10.2307/41410402
  31. Sarstedt, M., Ringle, C. M., & Hair, J. F. (2017). Partial least squares structural equation modeling. In C. Homburg, M. Klarmann, & A. Vomberg (Eds.), Handbook of market research (pp. 1–40). Springer.
  32. Singh, R., Deonarine, V., Balwant, P., & Ramdeo, S. (2024). The relationship between abusive supervision and job satisfaction and turnover intentions: the moderating role of employee depression. Evidence-Based HRM: A Global Forum for Empirical Scholarship, 12(4), 1020–1039. doi:10.1108/EBHRM-08-2022-0213
  33. Tepper, B. J. (2000). Consequences of abusive supervision. Academy of Management Journal, 43(2), 178–190. doi:10.5465/1556375
  34. Yasmeen, A., Khan, M. M., & Ahmed, S. S. (2024). A hurting embrace does not last long: toxicity of abusive supervision erodes leader and organizational identification to cause turnover intention. Journal of Health Organization and Management, 38(1), 92–111. doi:10.1108/JHOM-03-2023-0082
  35. Zou, J., Yang, Y., Chen, L., Bi, Y., Li, N., Luo, Q., & Zhang, J. (2025). Effects of negative workplace behavior on job insecurity and turnover intention in healthcare workers: roles of psychological resilience. Frontiers in Public Health, 13, 1493964. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2025.1493964
Shakil, R.M. et al., (2026). Emotional Exhaustion and Turnover Intention As Mediators Between Abusive Supervision And Workplace Deviant Behavior Among Nurses In Private Hospitals In Bangladesh. International Journal of Business and Administrative Studies, 12(1), 44-57. https://dx.doi.org/10.20469/ijbas.12.10004-1