Prevalence of Verbal and Physical Workplace Violence against Psychiatric Nurses and its Impact on their Quality of Life

Abstract

Background: In the healthcare areas, workplace violence poses a threat to careers and has harmful effects on employees' health. Design: A cross-sectional design was utilized to conduct this study. Setting: the study was carried out at Saudi Arabia in Eradah Complex for Mental Health; Arar City, Eradah Hospital for Mental Health; Al Jouf City and Mental health hospital; Al Qurayyat City. Subjects: A convenience sample of all available psychiatric nurses (n= 171) was concluded in the current study at previously mentioned setting. Tools: Tool I: An on line self-administered interview questionnaire which was composed of two parts; part I: socio-demographic characteristics of the studied nurses and part II: prevalence of work place violence and its characteristics among nurses, and Tool II: The medical outcomes study 36-item quality of life health survey short-form. Results: demonstrates that, less than half of the studied nurses were exposure to violence at work for 3 to 10 times, most of them were exposure to verbal violence, and less than three quarters of them were exposure to physical violence. Also, more than half of the studied nurses had average quality of life, more than one quarter of them had good quality of life and less than one quarter of them had poor quality of life post exposure to workplace violence. Conclusion: there was negative correlation between frequencies of exposure to violence at work, verbal violence, physical violence and quality of life. The mental health hospitals administration should develop measures for preventing, reducing and controlling the prevalence of workplace violence against nurses.