Cyberbullying, Cyberincivility, and Online Harassment in the Nursing Workforce: An Integrative Review

This integrative review critically examined current evidence on cyberbullying, cyberincivility, and online harassment involving nurses as recipients, perpetrators, or participants in professional and public digital spaces. Guided by Whittemore and Knafl's framework and reported in accordance with PRISMA 2020, peer-reviewed studies (2017-2025) were identified through CINAHL, MEDLINE, and Embase (final search: 3 December 2025). Methodological quality was appraised using Joanna Briggs Institute tools, and findings were synthesised through inductive thematic analysis. Nine studies met the inclusion criteria. Five themes emerged: cyberbullying is widespread and multimodal; shaped by organisational culture and power dynamics; associated with significant psychological and occupational harm; intensified by blurred personal-professional boundaries; and inadequately addressed due to fragmented leadership, education, and policy responses. Cyberbullying and cyberincivility represent pervasive digital extensions of workplace bullying in nursing, with serious implications for nurse wellbeing, professional identity, workforce retention, and patient care. Addressing these behaviours requires recognition of cyber-aggression as workplace violence and coordinated organisational action across leadership, education, policy, and research.