VALIDATION OF ABUSIVE SUPERVISION SCALE IN SOUTHERN NIGERIA: A PRELIMINARY STUDY

Abstract

This article presents a cross-sectional study conducted to validate the concept of abusive supervision in the context of southern Nigeria. This phenomenon has been extensively studied in various cultural contexts, but its validation within specific regional contexts, such as southern Nigeria, remains relatively unexplored. This study aimed to address this gap by empirically validating the existence and prevalence of abusive supervision in service industries in southern Nigeria. Data were collected through an online survey platform, ensuring anonymity and confidentiality for participants. Statistical techniques, including exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was employed to analyze the data. EFA was conducted to identify the underlying factor structure of the abusive supervision scale in the southern Nigerian context. The study findings revealed a high prevalence of abusive supervision in southern Nigeria. The EFA results supported a one-factor structure, encompassing items, and domains of verbal abuse, work interference, supervisor exploitation, and punitive actions. The one- factors scale demonstrated good internal consistency. These insights can inform the development of targeted interventions and strategies to mitigate abusive supervision and foster positive work environments in southern Nigeria.