Abusive supervision, mental health and deviant workplace behaviour among public servants in organisations in Kampala District

Abstract

This study, guided by Social Exchange Theory, examined the relationships among abusive supervision, mental health, and deviant workplace behaviour among public servants in organisations within Kampala District. Using a cross-sectional survey design, data were collected from 238 respondents selected through stratified random sampling. Descriptive statistics were used to summarise demographic characteristics, including gender, age, tenure, and employment contract type. Inferential analyses, comprising Pearson correlation and regression, were conducted to test the study objectives. The findings indicated that abusive supervision was prevalent, with dishonesty-related behaviours such as lying and breaking promises being the most commonly reported, alongside emotional neglect and ridicule. Correlation results showed very strong positive associations between abusive supervision and both interpersonal deviance (r > .75) and organisational deviance (r > .70). Abusive supervision was also positively related to psychological distress and negatively related to flourishing mental health. Further analysis revealed that mental health partially mediated the relationship between abusive supervision and interpersonal deviant behaviour, indicating that psychological distress serves as a key mechanism through which abusive supervision influences harmful interpersonal actions. However, mental health did not mediate the relationship between abusive supervision and organisational deviant behaviour, suggesting that organisational deviance is driven more directly by supervisory abuse than by employees’ psychological well-being. The study highlights the need for organisations to address abusive supervisory practices while integrating targeted mental health interventions, particularly to reduce interpersonal workplace deviance and foster healthier organisational environments.