Psychological contract breach mediates ethical climate and deviance among nurses.

This article investigates how ethical workplace climate influences interpersonal deviance among nurses in Indian nonprofit hospitals, with psychological contract breach serving as a mediating factor. Using data from 230 nurses across five hospitals, the study finds that a positive ethical climate—characterized by enlightened self-interest, collegiality, steward leadership, and organizational legitimacy—reduces perceptions of psychological contract breach, which in turn lowers interpersonal deviant behaviors such as hurtful or aggressive actions toward colleagues. The mediation effect of psychological contract breach is moderated by nurses' work experience, with less-experienced nurses showing a stronger relationship between ethical climate and reduced deviance. The findings suggest that healthcare leaders can mitigate interpersonal deviance by fostering benevolent and principled ethical climates and regularly assessing workplace ethics to address psychological contract breaches proactively.