Abstract
BackgroundThe aim of this study was to investigate staff's experiences with violation and humiliation during work in mental health care (MHC). A total of 1160 multi-professional MHC staff in Norway responded to an online questionnaire about their experiences with different kinds of violation and humiliation in the MHC setting. In addition, a sample of professionals (eight MHC nurses) were recruited for in-depth individual interviews. MethodThe study used an explorative mixed method with a convergent parallel design; this included a web-based questionnaire to MHC staff in combination with individual interviews. The sample is considered to be equivalent to staff groups in MHC in Norway. ResultsBetween 70 and 80% of the staff reported experiencing rejection, being treated with disrespect, condescending behaviour or verbal harassment. Male workers were significantly more often victims of serious physical violence, and women were significantly more often targets for sexual harassment. In interviews, participants said they considered being exposed to violence and humiliation to be part of the job when working in MHC, and that experience, as well as social support from colleagues, helped MHC practitioners to cope better with violent situations and feel less humiliated at work. DiscussionA high amount of MHC staff report experiences of being violated and humiliated during work. The participants' perceptions of the users and their behaviour seem to influence their experience of feeling violated and humiliated. Knowledge about the dynamics of aggression between staff and users in MHC may be used in safeguarding staff and users, prevent coercion and heighten the quality of care.
Highlights
The aim of this study was to investigate staff's experiences with violation and humiliation during work in mental health care (MHC)
The study used an explorative mixed method with a convergent parallel design; this included a webbased questionnaire to MHC staff in combination with individual interviews
15,576 questionnaires were sent out through the professionals organisations and a total of 1160 MHC staff responded to the questionnaire about their experiences with different kinds of violation and humiliation in the MHC setting
Summary
The aim of this study was to investigate staff's experiences with violation and humiliation during work in mental health care (MHC). Participants said they considered being exposed to violence and humiliation to be part of the job when working in MHC, and that experience, as well as social support from colleagues, helped MHC practitioners to cope better with violent situations and feel less humiliated at work. The participants' perceptions of the users and their behaviour seem to influence their experience of feeling violated and humiliated. Violence and humiliation come in many forms and variations, and handling aggression is a major challenge in MHC and a primary reason for applying coercive measures (Anderson & West, 2011; Haugvaldstad & Husum, 2016; O'Rourke et al, 2018); it includes acts of physical, verbal and sexual violation and harassment.
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