Incivility experiences and mental health among college nursing students: The moderating role of rumination

This study examined the relationship between incivility and mental health and how rumination moderates the effect of incivility on mental health. Participants were 802 Chinese nursing students (female = 90.6%; mean age = 19.8 years, SD = 1.31 years). They completed measurements of incivility, rumination, and mental health. Hayes's PROCESS v 3.5 was used to examine the nomological network among incivility, rumination, and mental health. The results indicated that incivility experience was highly related to mental health among nursing students and rumination enhanced the effect of incivility on mental health. Male students reported less rumination than female students. Rumination moderated the relationship between incivility and mental health. Incivility experience was associated with lower mental health for those who reported to ruminate more. These study findings provide evidence to suggest a need to provide gendered counselling to reduce rumination; thereby mitigating the risk to mental health due to incivility experience.