Abusive Supervision, Work-Family Conflict, and Employee Deviance in Public Hospitals: Mediating Role of Stress and Moderating Role of Islamic Work Ethics

Abstract

Background: Employee deviance in healthcare organizations can undermine staff wellbeing, teamwork, and service quality, yet its relationship with abusive supervision and work-family conflict remains insufficiently examined in public hospital settings. Objective: To investigate the effects of abusive supervision and work-family conflict on employee deviance in public hospitals of Bahawalpur Division, Pakistan, while testing stress as a mediator and Islamic work ethics as a moderator. Methods: A quantitative cross-sectional survey was conducted among nurses and paramedical staff employed in public healthcare facilities. A total of 350 questionnaires were distributed, and 317 valid responses were analyzed. Standardized Likert-scale measures were used for abusive supervision, work-family conflict, stress, Islamic work ethics, and deviance behaviour. Data were analyzed using SPSS for descriptive statistics and Smart-PLS 4.0 for measurement and structural model assessment. Results: Abusive supervision significantly predicted deviance behaviour (β=0.353, p<0.001) and stress (β=0.587, p<0.001). Work-family conflict also significantly predicted deviance behaviour (β=0.279, p<0.001) and stress (β=0.320, p<0.001). Stress had a significant positive effect on deviance behaviour (β=0.312, p<0.001) and significantly mediated the effects of abusive supervision (β=0.100, p<0.001) and work-family conflict (β=0.183, p<0.001) on deviance behaviour. Islamic work ethics significantly moderated the stress–deviance relationship, although the interaction effect was small (β=0.060, p=0.039). Conclusion: Abusive supervision and work-family conflict were significant correlates of employee deviance in public hospitals, and their effects were partly transmitted through stress. Islamic work ethics showed a modest buffering role, suggesting that organizational reform and stress reduction remain central to reducing deviance in healthcare workplaces.