One of the Informal Communication Channels among Nurses: Attitudes and Thoughts Toward Gossip and Rumors

INTRODUCTION: The present study aimed to analyze nurses’ attitudes toward and opinions regarding gossip and rumors, an informal communication channel.
METHODS: This descriptive study was conducted among 124 nurses working in a university hospital in the Central Anatolia Region. The data were collected using “The Descriptive Questionnaire” and “The Gossip and Rumor Attitude Scale”. Ethical approval and institutional permissions were obtained for the study. Data analysis was performed using descriptive statistics, the independent samples t-test, the Mann–Whitney U-test, and the Kruskal–Wallis test.
RESULTS: The nurses obtained the highest mean score (3.15 ± 0.49) on the identification subdimension and the lowest mean score (2.17 ± 0.72) on the effects subdimension of the Gossip and Rumor Attitude Scale. Among the nurses, 55.6% reported that they frequently encountered gossip and rumors, mainly related to nurses (37.4%) and personal matters (34.4%). No statistically significant difference was found between the subdimension scores according to age, gender, education level, the unit worked, and shift (P >.05).
DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Nurses positively identified but negatively affected by gossip and rumor. Nurse managers should be aware of the positive and negative aspects of gossip and rumors, an informal way of communication, and have the ability to reduce the negative personal and institutional effects.