The moderating role of psychological capital in the relationship between workplace bullying and job burnout among nurses in Saudi Arabia: A cross-sectional study

Background: Workplace bullying remains a pervasive problem in nursing, adversely affecting nurses' well-being and professional functioning. Prolonged exposure to bullying is associated with emotional exhaustion and job burnout. However, the potential buffering role of internal psychological resources, particularly psychological capital, has not been sufficiently examined. Objective: This study aimed to explore the association between workplace bullying and job burnout among hospital nurses and examined whether psychological capital moderates this relationship. Methods: -tests, one-way ANOVA, Pearson's correlation coefficients, and moderation analysis using PROCESS macro (Model 1). Results: < 0.01), indicating that psychological capital attenuated the positive association between workplace bullying and job burnout. Conclusion: Psychological capital functions as a protective factor that buffers the adverse impact of workplace bullying on nurses' job burnout. These findings highlight the importance of strengthening nurses' psychological resources through organizational strategies and resilience-enhancing interventions to promote well-being and reduce burnout risk.