{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,27]],"date-time":"2026-08-27T06:18:02Z","timestamp":1787811482031,"version":"build-2784847793"},"reference-count":48,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,27]],"date-time":"2026-08-27T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1787788800000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"\n Background<\/jats:title>\n Bullying experiences during clinical practice threaten nursing students' learning and professional development. However, existing studies mainly focused on variable-centered associations, with limited exploration of heterogeneous subgroups from a person-centered perspective. This study aimed to examine the mediating role of perceptions of clinical stressors (PCS) in the relationship between psychological capital (PsyCap) and bullying experiences, while identifying latent profiles of bullying experiences. Recognizing distinct subgroups and clarifying influencing mechanisms can help provide tailored educational interventions.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Methods<\/jats:title>\n A multicenter cross-sectional study was conducted from September 2024 to May 2025. A total of 578 nursing students undergoing clinical internships at six general hospitals in Gansu Province, China, were enrolled in the survey. This study included general information questionnaires, the Psychological Capital Questionnaire, the Perceptions of Clinical Stressors Scale, and the Bullying Behaviors in Nursing Education Scale. Mediation analysis and latent profile analysis were carried out.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Results<\/jats:title>\n \n (1) Three distinct latent bullying experiences profiles were identified: the low bullying group (29.2%), the high bullying group (27.9%), and the moderate bullying group (42.9%). (2) PsyCap was significantly negatively associated with bullying experiences (\n r<\/jats:italic>\n = \u22120.635,\n p<\/jats:italic>\n &lt; 0.001). (3) PCS partially mediated the relationship (\n ab<\/jats:italic>\n = \u22120.248,\n p<\/jats:italic>\n &lt; 0.001) between PsyCap and bullying experiences, with a proportion mediated of 43.12%.\n <\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>\n \n Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n Bullying experiences among nursing students are heterogeneous and embedded in stressful clinical learning environments. PCS and PsyCap are key factors associated with this heterogeneity, with PCS acting as a partial mediator. Nursing educators should implement targeted, profile-specific interventions to mitigate the impact of bullying experiences.<\/jats:p>\n <\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.3389\/fpubh.2026.1915028","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2026,8,27]],"date-time":"2026-08-27T05:33:23Z","timestamp":1787808803000},"update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3389\/crossmark-policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Psychological capital, perceptions of clinical stressors, and bullying experiences among Chinese nursing students during clinical practice: a latent profile and mediation analysis"],"prefix":"10.3389","volume":"14","author":[{"given":"Fangfei","family":"Zhao","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Nursing, Lanzhou University","place":["Lanzhou, China"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Hongchen","family":"Zhang","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"School of Nursing, Lanzhou University","place":["Lanzhou, 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