Aggression and burnout in nurses during COVID‐19: A cross‐sectional study

Abstract

Workplace violence against nurses, an ever‐present problem in the healthcare workplace, has been increasing with COVID‐19 and affects occupational health. This study analyzed the consequences of COVID‐19 on violence against nurses, identifying its association with burnout, emphasizing the importance of work‐related variables. A total of 1013 actively employed nurses in Spain with a mean age of 34.71 years filled out a computer‐assisted web interviewing survey. Aggression as a consequence of their work was reported by 73.44% of the nurses. Those most affected were in primary care, and verbal aggression by patients and their families was the most frequent. Nurses who were attacked scored significantly higher in emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. Furthermore, 83.22% said that COVID‐19 was an important factor in the increase in violence toward healthcare workers. Analysis showed that a perceived secure environment was a mediator between the belief that COVID‐19 was an influential factor in the increase of violence and the depersonalization dimension of burnout. Increasing perceived security in the work environment among nurses can be effective in promoting well‐being, work performance, and commitment to the profession.

Factors Associated with Insomnia and Aggression among Healthcare Workers during COVID-19 Pandemic

“…The literature review demonstrates that older age [63], female gender [64,65], nursing profession [66], and working in a ward taking in COVID-19 patients [67,68] can constitute risk factors for poor sleep quality and insomnia among healthcare workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study by Molero et al [27] observed that nurses employed in the healthcare system were predominantly exposed to violence. Moreover, nurses who had been attacked scored higher in terms of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and most of the respondents considered COVID-19 to be an important factor in the increase in violence towards healthcare workers.…”

“…During the COVID-19 pandemic, an increased frequency of violence towards healthcare workers was reported [27]. This has been a problem for many years [19]; however, with the limited access to healthcare services during the pandemic, there has been a significant increase in aggressive behavior towards FHCW [19], such as physical and psychological violence and vicarious violence [28].…”

“…It consists of 29 items, subdivided into four factors: Physical aggression (9 items), verbal aggression (5 items), anger (8 items), and hostility (8 items) [27]. The BPAQ subscales include different numbers of questions, therefore each scale shows a different value range.…”

Violence Against Health Care Workers in Health Care Services: A Literature Review

“…The healthcare sector is a complex and demanding sector, with workplace violence being a serious risk to healthcare workers (HCWs) [1]. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines workplace violence (WPV) as incidents where employees are subjected to harassment, threats, or attacks while engaged in job-related activities.…”

“…The International Committee of the Red Cross ICRC reported 611 incidences of victimization in the first half of the pandemic [10]. Several studies report an increase in WPV toward HCWs [1,10]. In Middle Eastern nations, the rates of physical and verbal aggression vary between 6.5%-74.9% and 30.7%-95.3%, respectively [11].…”