Aggressive Behavior and Its Triggers Among Hospitalized Stroke Patients’ Entourages Toward Healthcare Staff

Abstract

Background: Aggression toward staff and workplace violence are common problems worldwide that not only affect individuals' dignity but also affect their physical and emotional well-being. Objectives: The study was conducted aimed to investigate aggression correlations of hospitalized stroke patients' entourage toward healthcare staff. Methods: The cross-sectional study data were obtained by examining 194 hospitalized stroke patients’ entourages in a hospital in Iran from September to December 2020. A list of demographic information and patients' records, national institutes of health stroke scale, and hospital satisfaction questionnaire were used for data collection. To analyze data statistical tests such as chi-square tests, t-test, and multinomial logistic regression analysis were used. Results: Prevalence of subjective anger and verbal aggression were 49.5% and 16.5%, respectively. After adjustment for confounding variables, the entourages with an academic education (P < 0.001), spouses of the patients (P = 0.029), and those having less satisfaction with stay aspects and physical comfort of the hospital (P < 0.0005) report more subjective anger and those with academic education (P < 0.001), less satisfied with staff behavior (P < 0.001), and more satisfied with physician care (P < 0.001) showed verbal aggression. Conclusions: Subjective anger and verbal aggression are common up to 50% among the entourages of hospitalized stroke patients. Likely paying more attention to the high-risk entourages and providing necessary training in the field of appropriate behaviors with entourages by the medical staff can reduce tension and aggression in stroke patients' entourages.