Association of Abusive Supervision with Psychological Distress and Turnover Intention Among Clinical Dental Hygienists.

Purpose Negative workplace culture has been shown to be a common reason for dental hygienists to leave clinical practice. The purpose of this study was to examine abusive supervision (AS) and its relationship with dental hygienists' psychological distress and turnover intention.Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted online with a non-probability sample of clinical dental hygienists in the United States and Canada, recruited via social media. The validated instruments included the Tepper AS scale, the Kessler psychological distress scale (K6), and the Turnover Intention Scale (TIS-6). Descriptive statistics, correlation analysis, and regression modeling were used to analyze the data.Results A total of 258 participants opened the survey; the completion rate was 53% (n = 137). A majority of the participants (81%) reported experiencing AS with varying frequency. No demographic variables were found to be statistically significant predictors of AS and intention to leave; however, regression modeling identified psychological distress (β = .27, p < .001) and AS (β = .52, p < .001) as predictors of turnover intention. Abusive supervision was stronger in predicting turnover intention than psychological distress (R2 = .49, p < .001).Conclusion Based on the study findings, abusive supervision is prevalent and a strong predictor of turnover intention among clinical dental hygienists, indicating that this is a significant professional issue. Employers should recognize and mitigate abusive behavior to establish a positive workplace environment to increase retention and enhance overall patient care.