Environmental sustainability in medical school curriculum: a scoping review.

Gaslighting refers to a type of psychological abuse in which one person deliberately manipulates another, leading them to question their mental stability, memories, and interpretation of reality [, ]. This type of emotional manipulation weakens independent judgment and frequently results in cognitive dissonance, a state in which personal beliefs conflict with one’s actual behaviors [–]. The concept originates from a theatrical play in which an apparently caring husband employed deception and manipulation to isolate his wife and persuade her that she was mentally unwell, ultimately enabling him to take control of her assets [, ]. Gaslighting may manifest as a single isolated event or as a persistent pattern of manipulation, thereby constituting a form of sustained abuse [, ]. Within interpersonal and workplace relationships, it commonly occurs in contexts characterized by power imbalances, where senior individuals use strategies such as denial, minimization, and contradiction to control or manipulate less experienced colleagues [, ]. Nursing environments are also susceptible to gaslighting. This form of manipulation emerges when managers or peers disregard nurses’ concerns about issues like overtime and portray excessive dedication as both acceptable and expected, which may ultimately promote workaholism []. The identification of gaslighting in nursing environments is constrained by the limited availability of research explicitly focused on this construct, as the majority of existing studies have emphasized adjacent phenomena such as bullying, incivility, and horizontal violence, thereby potentially obscuring the distinct features of gaslighting []. In addition, those lacking awareness of gaslighting may not realize they are being subjected to it, as perpetrators frequently frame their actions as supportive advice or guidance []. Despite the increasing use of the term gaslighting in nursing and healthcare literature, the concept remains theoretically underdeveloped and conceptually ambiguous within nursing practice. Gaslighting is often conflated with related phenomena such as psychological violence, workplace bullying, or victim blaming, resulting in blurred conceptual boundaries and inconsistent application in research and practice. This lack of conceptual clarity hinders accurate identification, measurement, and management of gaslighting in clinical settings. Therefore, a systematic concept analysis is essential to clarify the meaning, defining attributes, antecedents, consequences, and empirical referents of gaslighting in nursing practice. Walker and Avant’s concept analysis method [] was selected for this study because of its structured, rigorous, and theory-oriented approach, which enables comprehensive examination of complex and abstract concepts. Applying this method facilitates conceptual clarity, supports theory development, and provides a solid foundation for future empirical research, instrument development, and the design of educational and organizational interventions aimed at addressing gaslighting in nursing environments.