Staff nurses' perceptions of toxic leadership behaviors in nurse managers: a latent profile analysis

Objectives: To identify latent profiles and influencing factors of toxic leadership behaviors of nurse managers experienced by staff nurses. Design: Cross-sectional study. Setting: A total of 12 public hospitals in Guiyang and Zunyi city, Guizhou Province, China. Methods: From May 7, 2024 to December 31, 2024, a total of 900 nurses participated, and 868 valid questionnaires were collected with a validity rate of 96.44%. Data was collected via the Toxic Leadership Behaviors of Nurse Managers scale and a demographic questionnaire. Using latent profile analysis (LPA), distinct profiles of toxic leadership behaviors among nurse managers were identified. Univariate and multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to identify the factors associated with the toxic leadership behavior of nurse managers. Results: The toxic leadership behaviors suffered by nurses were divided into four profiles: low toxic leadership behavior group (55.07%), moderate toxic leadership behavior group (16.71%), high toxic leadership behavior group (13.36%), and high Intemperate behavior group (14.86%). The results of multiple logistic regression analysis showed that nurses who are male, employed as non-permanent staff, or working in general hospitals are more susceptible to toxic leadership behaviors. Conclusions: This study used latent profile analysis to identify four distinct subgroups and found that male nurses, non-permanent staff, and nurses in general hospitals are more susceptible to toxic leadership behaviors. These results emphasize the need for developing strategies to address toxic leadership behaviors in order to promote nurses' wellbeing.