Does the Type of Exposure to Workplace Violence Matter to Nurses' Mental Health?

Farinaz Havaei

doi:10.3390/healthcare9010041

Abstract

Workplace violence is a prevalent phenomenon in healthcare, particularly among nursing professionals. Exposure to workplace violence may be direct through firsthand involvement, indirect through secondhand witnessing, or both. Even though implications for victims of workplace violence have been well-studied, less is known about the various types of exposure and their effects on nurse mental health. The purpose of this study is to examine the impact of workplace-violence exposure types on the mental health of nurses, while accounting for the intensity of the incident/s. This study employs an exploratory correlational design with survey methods. Nurses from British Columbia (BC), Canada, were invited by the provincial nurses’ union to complete an electronic survey in Fall 2019. A total of 2958 responses from direct-care nurses in acute-care settings were analyzed using logistic regression. The results showed that mental-health problems increased with cumulative exposure; even though nurses with solely indirect exposure to workplace violence did not report greater mental-health problems, those experiencing solely direct exposure, or both direct and indirect exposure, were two to four times more likely to report high levels of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), anxiety, depression and burnout compared to their counterparts with no exposure. There is an urgent need for better mental-health support, prevention policies and practices that take into account the type of workplace-violence exposure.

Highlights

Workplace violence is a prevalent phenomenon in healthcare [1]
Even though the antecedents and consequences of direct exposure to workplace violence are well-studied [5,6,7], less is known about indirect exposure types to workplace violence, how the effect of indirect exposure compares to the effect of direct exposure, and whether there is a cumulative effect for those who experience both types of exposure
Examining the effects of workplace violence by exposure type is important given the high prevalence of indirect exposure in healthcare, as many nurses witness it occur to their colleagues, an experience that may compound the effects of firsthand experience with violence

Summary

Introduction

Workplace violence is a prevalent phenomenon in healthcare [1]. Among healthcare workers, nursing professionals are more prone to workplace-violence exposure due to the nature of their work and suboptimal working conditions [2]. Nurses’ exposure to workplace violence may be direct through firsthand involvement, or indirect when witnessing workplace violence that occurs to their co-workers ( known as secondhand involvement) [3,4]. Examining the effects of workplace violence by exposure type is important given the high prevalence of indirect exposure in healthcare, as many nurses witness it occur to their colleagues, an experience that may compound the effects of firsthand experience with violence. Gaining a better understanding of exposure types will shed light on more effective prevention policies and interventions tailored to nurses’ needs

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Discussion

Conclusion