Definition and research guide
This page combines a MeSH definition, publication statistics and selected research abstracts. It is a starting point for reading the literature, not a medical textbook or a systematic evidence review.
Content available: 3 complete abstracts (599 words), 9 references. Full article text is not stored or reproduced here; follow the PMID, DOI or PMC links to read the original sources and their access terms.
Definition
The function of directing or controlling the actions or attitudes of an individual or group with more or less willing acquiescence of the followers.
Definition: NLM Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) scope note (Public domain (U.S. National Library of Medicine); attribution requested). View the MeSH record.
Also known as: Influentials.
Where it fits in the MeSH classification
- Broader topics
- Personality; Personnel Management
Research landscape
PubMed indexes 53,713 records tagged with the MeSH heading “Leadership” (counts retrieved 2026-10-31). 12,660 of them (23.6%) were published from 2020 onward, and the busiest period so far is 2010-2019 with 17,248 records.
Reviews account for 3,756 records (7.0%) and meta-analyses for 107. Randomized controlled trials number 265 (0.5%) as a share of all records on the topic. Randomized trials make up only a small share of this literature, so much of what is known comes from laboratory, observational or descriptive work.
Show the data
| Period | Records |
|---|---|
| through 1999 | 12,082 |
| 2000-2009 | 11,723 |
| 2010-2019 | 17,248 |
| 2020 onward | 12,660 |
Publication-type chart data
| Type | Records | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Reviews | 3,756 | 7.0% |
| Meta-analyses | 107 | 0.2% |
| Randomized controlled trials | 265 | 0.5% |
Method: PubMed query "Leadership"[MeSH Terms] with publication-type and date filters, retrieved 2026-10-31.
Reading the evidence in psychiatry and psychology
Research on mental health and behaviour relies on questionnaires, interviews and rating scales rather than physical measurements, so how a condition was defined and measured shapes every result. Many studies are observational or small, placebo responses can be large, and findings in one group or culture may not carry over to another. Nothing on this page is advice about diagnosis or treatment; anyone worried about their mental health should talk to a qualified clinician. Check how outcomes were measured, who took part and how long they were followed.
Evidence from open-access studies
These open-access studies come from PubMed’s best-match results for this heading (papers whose main topic it is), ranked here by citation count, with one recent addition. Each abstract is reproduced in full under its recorded open licence so that you can read the authors’ own words. They illustrate the literature; they are not a systematic summary of it. Citation counts measure attention, not reliability or clinical benefit.
| Study / authors | Year | Source label / design | Europe PMC citations | Licence / source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Staffing and leadership as drivers of nurse retention: A work environment analysis | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 3 | cc by PMID 41603796 · DOI · PMC12854367 |
| The academy and its journal: 45 years of editorial leadership in South African family medicine | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 2 | cc by PMID 41925599 · DOI · PMC13058520 |
| Effects of Toxic Leadership Behavior and Emotional Exhaustion on Patient Safety Incident Reporting | 2026 | Research article Design not recorded in structured metadata | 2 | cc by PMID 41995113 · DOI · PMC13088159 |
Staffing and leadership as drivers of nurse retention: A work environment analysis [1]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- BackgroundNurse work environment (NWE) is a well-established predictor of nurse and patient outcomes.
- Closing excerpt
- Targeted improvements in these domains may enhance workforce stability and care quality.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (137 words)
BackgroundNurse work environment (NWE) is a well-established predictor of nurse and patient outcomes. However, limited research has examined the individual contributions of NWE domains to nurse outcomes.PurposeThis study aimed to identify which subscales of the Practice Environment Scale (PES) most strongly influence nurse outcomes: retention, job enjoyment, respect and recognition, and missed nursing care.MethodsA cross-sectional analysis was conducted using 2024 National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators® RN Survey data from 1789 inpatient units across 221 hospitals. NWE was measured using PES subscales, and nurse outcomes were assessed via standardized instruments. Structural equation modeling evaluated direct effects of PES domains on outcomes.ResultsAll PES subscales were significantly associated with nurse outcomes ( P ConclusionsAdequate staffing and strong nurse manager leadership are critical to nurse retention and satisfaction. Targeted improvements in these domains may enhance workforce stability and care quality.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41603796 · DOI · PMC12854367
The academy and its journal: 45 years of editorial leadership in South African family medicine [2]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- Journals are living archives of their disciplines.
- Closing excerpt
- Key transitions supporting inclusive scholarly development are highlighted.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (180 words)
Journals are living archives of their disciplines. For the South African Family Practice journal, its 45-year journey offers a unique lens on how family medicine in Southern Africa found its voice and evolved alongside global primary care scholarship. This Open Forum reflection traces the journal's trajectory, from print and pharma-supported pages to a fully online, open-access platform grounded in ethical rigour and robust peer review. Drawing on archival insights and a conversation with Prof. Pierre de Villiers, who continued Prof. Sam Fehrsen's editorial legacy, the overview highlights how editorial independence, methodological diversity and capacity building have shaped the journal as a trusted voice for family medicine and primary care. This narrative describes the journal's role in enhancing the discipline's evidence base and scholarly identity over 45 years. The evolution of the journal offers lessons for strengthening primary care scholarship in Africa and other regions.Contribution: Four decades of editorial leadership of the South African Family Practice have significantly shaped the journal's identity, integrity and reputation in primary care across Southern Africa and abroad. Key transitions supporting inclusive scholarly development are highlighted.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41925599 · DOI · PMC13058520
Effects of Toxic Leadership Behavior and Emotional Exhaustion on Patient Safety Incident Reporting [3]
Abstract reading summary — source excerpts
- Opening excerpt
- IntroductionPatient safety is a vital component of healthcare delivery, and identifying and reporting incidents are essential to raising the standard of care.
- Closing excerpt
- Improving reporting and minimizing the harmful effects of emotional exhaustion require addressing the role of toxic leadership.
- Interpretation limits
- Verbatim excerpts from the authors’ abstract; the closing excerpt may describe a finding, limitation or recommendation. Design, population, effect size and uncertainty have not been independently extracted or appraised. Read the complete abstract and linked paper before interpreting the findings.
Read complete abstract (282 words)
IntroductionPatient safety is a vital component of healthcare delivery, and identifying and reporting incidents are essential to raising the standard of care. Nurse managers are noted in some organizations to display a toxic leadership style, which exacerbates nurses' already existing emotional exhaustion. Nurses' emotional exhaustion may harm the reporting of patient safety incidents. Using the job demands-resources theory as the primary guiding framework, the study assessed the relationship between emotional exhaustion and patient safety incident reporting among nurses while examining the mediating role of toxic leadership of nurse managers in a teaching hospital in Ghana.MethodsThe study employed a cross-sectional design. Using convenience sampling, 282 nurses from the various units of a teaching hospital completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the Toxic Leadership Behavior of Nurse Managers Scale, and the Survey on Patient Safety Culture tools. Pearson moment-product correlation and Hayes' PROCESS Macro mediation analyses were conducted to examine the effects of toxic leadership behavior of nurse managers on the relationship between nurses' emotional exhaustion and patient safety incident reporting. Analysis was performed at a significance of 0.05.ResultsClose to half (43.6%, n = 123) of participants indicated their likelihood of reporting patient safety incidents in their units. There was a significant negative correlation between patient safety incident reporting and emotional exhaustion (r = -0.617, p Implications for nursing managementThe toxic leadership behavior of nurse managers acts as a mediator, exacerbating the negative relationship between emotional exhaustion and patient safety incident reporting. The results highlight the need to address emotional exhaustion and toxic leadership behavior of nurse managers to foster a culture of transparent patient safety incident reporting. Improving reporting and minimizing the harmful effects of emotional exhaustion require addressing the role of toxic leadership.
Abstract reproduced from the open-access article under the recorded cc by licence; © the authors. PMID 41995113 · DOI · PMC13088159
Key reviews and meta-analyses
The most cited review-type papers among PubMed’s best-match results for this heading, listed with bibliographic details only. Follow the links for the full text and access terms.
- Research article Transformational and transactional leadership: a meta-analytic test of their relative validity [4]
- Research article Personality and leadership: a qualitative and quantitative review [5]
- Research article Trust in leadership: meta-analytic findings and implications for research and practice [6]
- Research article Leadership, job well-being, and health effects--a systematic review and a meta-analysis [7]
- Research article Are leader stereotypes masculine? A meta-analysis of three research paradigms [8]
- Research article Gender and the effectiveness of leaders: a meta-analysis [9]
References
- Losty LS, Pascale A, Warshawsky NE. Staffing and leadership as drivers of nurse retention: A work environment analysis. . 2026. PMID 41603796 · DOI · PMC12854367
- Von Pressentin KB. The academy and its journal: 45 years of editorial leadership in South African family medicine. . 2026. PMID 41925599 · DOI · PMC13058520
- Poku CA, Ahiadzese YA, Oyortey HK, Lamptey SNO, Asante J, Lumor DA, et al.. Effects of Toxic Leadership Behavior and Emotional Exhaustion on Patient Safety Incident Reporting. . 2026. PMID 41995113 · DOI · PMC13088159
- Judge TA, Piccolo RF. Transformational and transactional leadership: a meta-analytic test of their relative validity. J Appl Psychol. 2004. PMID 15506858 · DOI
- Judge TA, Bono JE, Ilies R, Gerhardt MW. Personality and leadership: a qualitative and quantitative review. J Appl Psychol. 2002. PMID 12184579 · DOI
- Dirks KT, Ferrin DL. Trust in leadership: meta-analytic findings and implications for research and practice. J Appl Psychol. 2002. PMID 12184567 · DOI
- Kuoppala J, Lamminpää A, Liira J, Vainio H. Leadership, job well-being, and health effects--a systematic review and a meta-analysis. J Occup Environ Med. 2008. PMID 18695449 · DOI
- Koenig AM, Eagly AH, Mitchell AA, Ristikari T. Are leader stereotypes masculine? A meta-analysis of three research paradigms. Psychol Bull. 2011. PMID 21639606 · DOI
- Eagly AH, Karau SJ, Makhijani MG. Gender and the effectiveness of leaders: a meta-analysis. Psychol Bull. 1995. PMID 7870858 · DOI
About this article
- Sources
- NLM Medical Subject Headings (definition, synonyms); NCBI PubMed (counts, identifiers); Europe PMC (open-access abstracts and citation counts).
- Verification
- Every reference was resolved against PubMed on 2026-11-04; title, year and DOI matched.
- Review state
- automated source verified; no human expert review has been recorded yet.
- Version
- 1, last updated 2026-11-04.
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Evidence strength
EvidenceHelix's computed view of the study designs behind this topic: how common meta-analyses, randomized trials and reviews are, how recent the literature is, and a plain-language reading. It describes the design mix of the literature. It is not a quality appraisal of any study, and it is not medical advice.