Experienced Workplace Violence Research Articles

Workplace Violence Experienced by Community Mental Health Workers

A cross-sectional online survey was conducted to 1) investigate the prevalence of workplace violence and workers’ emotional distress, 2) explore factors associated with workplace violence, and 3) assess workers’ needs for preventive measures. A total of 763 community mental health workers participated in Korea. Among them, 85.85% of workers experienced workplace violence, including verbal (74.31%), emotional (66.45%), infectious (47.44%), informational (42.60%), sexual (32.50%), and physical (23.72%) abuse. Binary logistic regression analysis indicated that sex, occupation, certification, and working institution were significantly associated with workplace violence. Workplace violence affects workers’ depression, anger, and anxiety negatively. The most-needed preventive measure is a two-person home visit.

Nursing students' experiences of workplace violence in clinical practice: a qualitative systematic review protocol.

The objective of this review is to investigate the experience of workplace violence against nursing students on clinical placement. Workplace violence affects nursing students during clinical placements in hospitals and other health care settings. Nursing students are uniquely vulnerable to workplace violence due to their limited experience and skills in challenging abusive behavior. Up to half of nursing students have reported experiencing horizontal or lateral physical or verbal violence during clinical placement, both from colleagues and patients. As a result of workplace violence, many students consider leaving nursing practice within their first year. This has implications for individual students' progression and for health care systems that rely on nursing graduates to deliver health care services. Only qualitative primary studies will be included. The population is registered nurse students, the phenomenon of interest is the experience of workplace violence, and the context is clinical placement. A comprehensive database search of MEDLINE, CINAHL, Web of Science Core collection, Scopus, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, ERIC, ProQuest Central, ProQuest Social Science Premium Collection, and ProQuest Dissertations and Theses will be conducted. Databases will be searched from inception to present for English-language qualitative literature of any study design that meets the inclusion criteria. A search of unpublished and gray literature will also be conducted. The JBI critical appraisal checklist for qualitative research will be used to assess the studies. Findings and illustrations will be extracted and assigned a level of credibility. Meta-aggregation of findings will be performed, and a ConQual Summary of Findings will be presented. PROSPERO CRD42022337674.

Staff Duress Alarms for Workplace Violence in the Emergency Department: A Mixed-Methods Evaluation

IntroductionComplex personal duress alarms may be implemented as part of a multicomponent approach to preventing and mitigating workplace violence in emergency departments. Evaluation of duress alarms after implementation has been identified as a gap in the literature. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to examine the impact of a duress alarm system on workplace violence and user experience in an urban emergency department. MethodsA comprehensive system evaluation was performed using a mixed-methods approach, which included retrospective data review, key informant interviews, observations, and a survey. Forty clinical staff at an emergency department in North Carolina were interviewed and provided feedback on the duress system. ResultsFindings indicated that the duress system was not associated with a decrease in workplace violence, and that the majority of clinical staff did not even wear the duress alarm. Staff indicated that the primary barriers to use of the alarm were the bulky design of the alarm badge, inadequate education about the alarm device and process, and the lack of a reliable and timely response from security. DiscussionOngoing engagement of clinical staff is critical to the success of health care technology implementations. Staff feedback, periodic re-education, and recurring process evaluations are vital to ensuring the continued relevance of systems, especially when staff safety is the intended purpose.

Investigation and Analysis of Mental State and Coping Style of Psychiatric Nurses in Public Health Emergencies.

Objectives: In this study, we evaluated the evaluate the psychological loads of psychiatric nurses and analyzed the influencing factors of these loads in nurse-patient communication.Methods: We used a convenience sampling method to select 400 psychiatric nurses from 5 tertiary psychiatric hospitals in Hebei, Jiangsu and Guangdong between April 5, 2020 and March 5, 2022 to participate. All participants were interviewed using a self-developed psychiatric nurse-patient communication event questionnaire and a 12-item general health questionnaire (GHQ-12). Results: The nurses' mean GHQ-12 score for psychiatric nurse-patient communication was 5.12±3.89 points, and generally, the psychological load was at a moderately high level. Among them, 196 (49.00%) had a high psychological load. The top 5 types of violence from patients or families towards the psychiatric nurses in the past month were injuries, verbal abuse, difficulties, work obstruction, and threatening intimidation. The most frequent factors in nurse-patient communication stress events were being worried about errors and accidents at work, being worried about not facing patient's emotional problems properly, and concern that they lacked communication skills about specific psychiatric symptoms. A multiple linear regression analysis showed that the important predictors of a high psychological load in psychiatric nurses included being male, having greater education, having worked a high number of years, having a high nurse characteristic factor load score, having a high environmental and social support factor load score, and experiencing workplace violence. Conclusion: The psychological load of psychiatric nurses is generally at a moderately high level and is directly related to gender, the number of working years, whether nurses have received professional systematic training, the frequency of workplace violence factors, nurses' characteristics, and environmental and social support scores. Accordingly, we should take note of these areas and improve them.

The association between fear of future workplace violence and depressive symptoms among nurses based on different experiences of workplace violence: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundFear of future workplace violence (FFWV) has a negative impact on individuals’ health. However, no study has investigated the association between FFWV and depressive symptoms. Nurses with different experiences of workplace violence may have different levels of FFWV and differences in mental health. This study explored the association between FFWV and depressive symptoms among Chinese nurses with different experiences of workplace violence.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted involving 1888 Chinese nurses from 12 tertiary hospitals in Shandong Province. The Fear of Future Violence at Work scale was used to measure FFWV. Depressive symptoms were assessed using the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale. Multiple logistic regression analysis was used to examine the association between FFWV and depressive symptoms.ResultsThe prevalence of depressive symptoms was 45.9% (no aggression group: 24.3%; non-physical violence group: 46.1%; physical violence group: 63.7%), and 72.8% of nurses had high levels of fear of future workplace violence (no aggression group: 60.2%; non-physical violence group: 75.6%; physical violence group: 70.8%). Compared with low levels of FFWV, high levels of FFWV were associated with more depressive symptoms among nurses in the no aggression group (odds ratio [OR] = 3.269, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.102–9.695) and in the non-physical violence group (OR = 2.338, 95% CI: 1.385–3.945).ConclusionNurses who had experienced physical violence had the most depressive symptoms and nurses with experience of non-physical violence had the greatest FFWV. Our findings suggested that there was a significant association between FFWV and depressive symptoms among Chinese nurses in the no aggression and non-physical violence groups. Hospital administrators need to address FFWV needs when developing strategies to reduce depressive symptoms among nurses.

Prevalence of workplace violence against young workers in the United States.

Workers under the age of 25 may be at particular risk for workplace violence, given their predominant employment in the high-risk retail and service industries. Little research exists, however, that estimates the scope of the problem within this population. To fill this gap, we conducted the first national study of workplace violence against young people in the United States. We analyzed survey data collected via telephone interview from a national sample of 1031 young workers ages 14 through 24 who held a formal job in the last 12 months. Weighted frequencies were calculated and χ2 tests of significance were used to detect differences between groups. Many youth experience workplace violence (60%). Verbal abuse of the sort that made victims feel scared and unsafe (53%) and sexual harassment (24%) were the most commonly reported forms of violence. Females were more likely than males to experience workplace violence overall (p < 0.001) and sexual harassment (p < 0.001) in particular. Males were more likely to experience verbal abuse (p < 0.001). Workplace violence was most prevalent among workers in healthcare settings and eating and drinking places. The occupation with the highest prevalence of workplace violence was customer service. Workplace violence is common among young workers in the United States and more widespread than prior estimates have suggested. This study is the first to provide a true national prevalence estimate of the problem of workplace violence among young workers ages 14 to 24 in the United States. These findings should be used to locate areas of concern and target resources where they are needed most to address this significant problem.

Prevalence and correlates of workplace violence against medical assistants in Germany: a cross-sectional study

BackgroundWorkplace violence is widespread, but studies on workplace violence against health professions in outpatient settings are sparse. We aimed to examine, for the first time, the prevalence of workplace violence against medical assistants as well as potential sociodemographic, occupational and health-related correlates of the exposure to workplace violence.MethodsWe used data from a survey (03–05/2021) among medical assistants in Germany (n = 424). We assessed the 12–month prevalence (yes/no) of verbal violence, physical violence, and sexual harassment as well as the types of perpetrators of workplace violence. Further, information was gathered on sociodemographic (e.g., age, educational level), occupational (e.g., years in job), and mental health-related factors (i.e., anxiety, depression). The 12–month prevalences of the different types of workplace violence were merged into a single variable (“any workplace violence” vs. none) for association analysis. We ran multivariable Poisson regression models to examine potential associations between sociodemographic and occupational correlates (i.e., independent variables) with any workplace violence as dependent variable and in addition between any workplace violence (independent variable) and dichotomized mental health as dependent variable.ResultsOverall, 59.4% of the medical assistants reported verbal violence, 5.9% reported physical violence, 3.8% reported sexual harassment, and 60.1% reported any workplace violence in the previous 12 months. Patients were reported to be the main perpetrators, followed by patients’ relatives. Younger age, being single, and working in a medical care center were sociodemographic and occupational correlates of workplace violence (PRs ≥ 1.27). Workplace violence was significantly associated with mental health variables (PRs ≥ 1.72).ConclusionMedical assistants experience workplace violence, in particular verbal violence. To devise preventive measures, prospective studies are needed to confirm the potential risk groups for workplace violence and the potential mental health sequels of workplace violence observed in our study.

Emergency Nurses' Care of Psychiatric Patients.

The volume of patients with mental illness presenting to the emergency department (ED) has been increasing in recent years, yet many ED nurses hold stigmatized attitudes and behaviors about patients with mental illness, creating barriers to therapeutic care. At the same time, there has been an increase in workplace violence (WPV) against nurses. Fortunately, resilience helps nurses manage their response to WPV and continue to provide therapeutic care. Although research has considered many barriers to the therapeutic care of patients with mental illness in the ED, the variables of stigma, resilience, and the experience of WPV have not been considered in relation to behavioral care competence and work performance, which is the purpose of this study. A survey consisting of the Brief Resilience Scale, the Individual Work Performance Questionnaire, the Behavioral Healthcare Competency (BHCC) survey, the Opening Minds Scale for Healthcare Providers, and open-ended questions about WPV were used to collect data. Independent t-tests were run between scale scores and categorical descriptive data. Correlations were run between scale scores and continuous descriptive data. Over half (60%) had experienced a personal injury from WPV. Higher behavioral competence scores were associated with lower stigma and higher contextual work performance. Nurses who experienced a WPV injury had higher mean BHCC and higher contextual work performance scores. WPV may be an impetus for nurses to improve their practice in behavioral health and working as part of a team.

Factors related to work ability among nursing professionals from urgent and emergency care units: A cross-sectional study.

Nursing professionals are on the front line of health systems in Brazil as well as worldwide. Studies on the work ability of nursing professionals are especially relevant as care demands increase and health care workforce shortages are expected. As the population of Brazil ages, the need for nursing care will increase. To identify levels and predictors of work ability among Brazilian nursing professionals. A cross-sectional study with 267 nursing professionals (72 nurses and 195 nursing technicians and nursing auxiliary) from public emergency and urgent care units was conducted. Measures included the following: Work Ability Index; Questionnaire of Socio-demographics, Lifestyle and Work and Health Aspects; and Violence at Work questionnaire. Generalized linear regression and Poisson models were used for data analysis. The mean work ability was 40.4 (range: 22 to 49). Almost 79.6% (n = 211) of participants reported good or excellent work ability, and 20.4% (n = 54) reported moderate or poor work ability. Better perceptions of health and job satisfaction, absence of health issues (past 15 days), lower stress levels, and having a partner were associated with better work ability. Victims of workplace violence were less likely to have good or excellent work ability than non-victims (prevalence ratio = 0.80; 95% CI 0.72 to 0.90). Professionals with cumulative experiences of workplace violence were less likely to report better work ability. The prevalence of good or excellent work ability was 79.6%. Our findings indicate that the following factors are predictors of work ability: self-reported perception of health, health issues in the last 15 days, workplace violence, job satisfaction, stress, and marital status.

Factors influencing midwives’ professional belongingness in northwest Ethiopia: Multicenter study

BackgroundProfessional belonging is an individual's engagement in their profession and where they see themselves in that profession. Midwives who have strong sense of belonging can provide compassionate care to pregnant women, newborns and families throughout their lives. The generation of evidence on sense of midwives professional belongingness is a critical step for maternal and neonatal mortality reduction. However, there is a lack of evidence about professional belongingness and influencing factures among midwives in Ethiopia particularly the study area. ObjectiveTo determine factors influencing midwives’ professional belongingness in public hospitals in Amhara regional state, northwest Ethiopia, 2022. MethodsInstitution-based cross-sectional study was conducted from February 21 to April 1, 2022. A cluster sampling technique was used to select 636 midwives. Data were collected using a self-administered and structured questionnaire, entered into Epi-Data version 4.6.software and exported to SPSS version 23 for analysis. A binary logistic regression analysis was fitted to identify factors associated with professional belongingness and p-value <0.05 at 95% confidence interval was used to declare statistical significance. ResultsThe proportion of belongingness was 52.7% (95% CI = 48.7, 56.6).Midwives who satisfied with their jobs [AOR = 3.50, CI= (2.48, 4.93)], had co-worker support [AOR = 1.54 CI= (1.08, 2.19)], had BEmONC training [AOR = 1.53 CI= (1.01, 2.30)], and experienced workplace violence [AOR = 0.55, CI= (0.39, 0.77)], had significant association with professional belongingness. ConclusionThe proportion of professional belongingness was low. Increasing job satisfaction, providing professional training, strengthening co-worker support, and developing workplace violence prevention strategies are all important steps toward increasing midwives’ professional belongingness.

Narrative Research on Understanding Workplace Violence in Healthcare: Insights from Healthcare Professionals

Background: Narrative research provides a unique and insightful approach to understanding personal experiences and narratives. This interviewing method allows participants ample time and scope to reflect upon their stories, enabling a deeper examination of the transformative elements within their narratives. We conducted narrative interviews in the form of a survey among healthcare professionals, focusing on the pressing issue of workplace violence (WPV). Our primary aim was to emphasize the significance and effectiveness of narrative interviews, especially when dealing with sensitive topics. Methodology: A multicentric, cross-sectional study was conducted across India, using narrative interviews with healthcare professionals for a period of three months of duration (July 2022 to September 2022). An interview guide was designed and validated, and narrative interviews were conducted in a hybrid mode. The transcribed interviews were subjected to narrative analysis. Results: Thirty-one healthcare professionals participated in the study, all of whom had either witnessed or experienced WPV. The participants identified inadequate communication, high patient-doctor ratio, and inadequate security measures as the primary factors contributing to WPV. These incidents result in adverse psychological effects and a decrease in work performance in healthcare providers. The participants expressed the importance of increasing awareness about the prevalence and detrimental effects of WPV, as well as the need to implement effective strategies to prevent and address it through narrative research. Conclusion: Narrative research is a powerful tool to understand the in-depth feelings and perceptions of people on sensitive topics. In this study, healthcare professionals perceived WPV as an important area of concern in clinical practice. Poor communication skills and, a high patient-doctor ratio were the key causes.

Keeping Healthcare Workers Safe Through Policy Initiatives

Keeping Healthcare Workers Safe Through Policy Initiatives

Effects of Workplace Violence Experience on Turnover Intention among Clinical Dental Hygienists

Effects of Workplace Violence Experience on Turnover Intention among Clinical Dental Hygienists

Worldwide predictors of violence in acute health care settings and recommendations for action

Healthcare workers are exposed to various violent behaviors, such as physical violence, threats, and psychological violence at their work. The experience of workplace violence is associated with various serious health outcomes including depression, loss of self-esteem, sleep disorders, anxiety, and Lack of concentration. Therefore, this editorial is conducted to stress the worldwide predictores of violence in acute health care settings and recommendations for action

The Lived Experience of Workplace Violence Among Emergency Nurses

IntroductionWorkplace violence remains a significant threat to the United States health care workforce. With increasingly aggressive patients, emergency nurses reported that the increased prevalence of workplace violence impacted their professional and personal lives. MethodsThis study employed a qualitative, descriptive phenomenological approach with purposive sampling. Participants were asked to describe their lived experience with workplace violence while working as emergency nurses and how this affected them personally and professionally. ResultsEleven experienced emergency registered nurses from 3 mid-Atlantic hospitals participated in the study. After reviewing, clustering, and validating significant statements, 4 major themes were identified: walking wounded to wounded healer, unexpected shock, betrayal, and resilient but changed. DiscussionOur findings were consistent with other studies exploring the effects of workplace violence in emergency departments. We validated that trauma has long-lasting effects. Organizations should ensure that programs and processes are in place to support the nurse or health care worker when workplace violence events occur.

Iranian nursing students' experiences of workplace violence: a qualitative study.

Workplace violence against nursing students is a common phenomenon. This study aimed to investigate Iranian nursing students' experiences of workplace violence, including their reaction to violence and the consequences and the effects of such violence on the students. The study participants were undergraduate nursing students. The data were collected using semi-structured, in-depth face-to-face interviews. Data analysis was carried out with qualitative approach using conventional content analysis. Four categories were extracted from the analysis of the interview transcriptions: vertical violence, horizontal violence, reaction to violence and consequences of violence. Nurses were the major imposers of violence against students and psychological and verbal violations were the most of used forms of violence. The students reacted to violence in the forms of counteracting, reporting, disregarding and considering as commonplace. Workplace violence is a common phenomenon experienced by nursing students in this study, which causes devastating individual, educational, and professional impacts. Action plans including providing safe environment and appropriate support from nurses and educators should be developed in clinical settings to intervene and to prevent workplace violence.

Exploring Jordanian emergency registered nurses’ experiences of workplace violence: A phenomenological study

BackgroundWorkplace violence against emergency nurses is an alarming hazard in Jordan, as it is globally. There is no prior research exploring the experiences of workplace violence against Jordanian emergency nurses. This study aimed to investigate Jordanian emergency registered nurses’ lived experiences of workplace violence from their patients or relatives while working. MethodA descriptive phenomenological study was conducted using Colaizzi’s data analysis method. Twelve emergency nurses participated in this study and were recruited via two Facebook groups using purposeful sampling. ResultsFour themes emerged from the analysis of violence in the emergency department revealed in this phenomenological study: (1) feeling overwhelmed that violence is so common, (2) ambivalent feelings toward patients and their families, (3) The feeling of inadequacy in handling violent situations, and (4) nurses’ suffering. DiscussionThe findings of this study have practical implications for in-service workplace training programs and may be used to inform potential changes to policies and legislation designed to establish a safer emergency department environment for nurses, patients and their relatives/visitors. ConclusionThe findings can help policymakers, healthcare leaders, and managers better understand the consequences of workplace violence to advocate for and establish workplace violence prevention programs and strategies to support nursing staff who have experienced these events.

Association between high burn-out and workplace violence among healthcare workers in China: a WeChat-based survey

ObjectivesThis study is conducted to examine whether overall workplace violence (WPV) and its five types are associated with high burn-out among healthcare workers in China.DesignA WeChat-based cross-sectional survey. Snowball sampling...

Exposure of Emergency Nurses to Workplace Violence and Their Coping Strategies: A Cross-Sectional Design

IntroductionViolence against nurses working in the emergency department is a serious problem worldwide. MethodsThis descriptive study used a participant questionnaire and was conducted in-person, using semi-structured interviews with 120 emergency nurses (69 female, 51 male) working in the emergency department between September 1 and November 30, 2017. ResultsOverall, 90% of the study participants were exposed to workplace violence at least once while working in the emergency department, and 94.4% experienced verbal abuse, including insults, shouting, threats, and swearing. Most of such workplace violence came from the patients relatives. Most workplace violence incidents occurred during the 4 pm to midnight time slot and in the triage area. The most important perceived reasons for workplace violence were the long waiting period for treatment and care (79.6%) and not being prioritized for treatment (68.5%). The top 3 coping methods used were reporting to the nurse in charge (78.1%), followed by reaching out to the security personnel (72.8%) and filing lawsuits if exposed to physical violence (65.8%). ConclusionsMost emergency nurses had experienced workplace violence. Hospital administration should take more effective security measures, hospitals should provide education and training programs for dealing with workplace violence, and programs to support staff members on encountering workplace violence should be implemented.

Experiences of exposure to workplace violence among ambulance personnel

BackgroundDespite an increased occurrence of workplace violence within the ambulance services, little is known about being exposed for such incidents.The aim of this study was to explore ambulance personnel’s experiences of workplace violence. MethodInterviews with 15 Swedish ambulance personnel was conducted and analyzed using content analysis. ResultsWhen exposed to workplace violence, the ambulance personnel felt offended, vulnerable, and experienced ethical dilemmas. Several strategies were used to deescalate the situation, but sometimes the ambulance personnel had to escape or fight the perpetrator. After the violent situation, the ambulance personnel described mental health issues and a frustration over long-lasting legal processes. To recover, reflections and social support was used. Having been exposed to workplace violence led to an increased awareness of onés vulnerability and a changed behavior both individually and professionally. ConclusionHaving been exposed to workplace violence affected both the professional and personal dimensions of serving as ambulance personnel and in caring in a hostile environment. Both individual and organizational strategies to manage workplace violence are needed to identify the risk of a violent situation and mitigate its effect.