COVID-19 and client violence toward healthcare social workers in Chile

Abstract

This article discusses the violence perpetrated by clients against social workers who provided services to COVID-19 patients and their families in Chilean hospitals during the initial peak of the disease in the country. In this way, this becomes the first study to analyze client violence toward social workers in the health crisis generated by the pandemic. The results indicate that the presence of aggressions from clients is high and social workers’ coping strategies are passive. Finally, the urgent call for prevention and the need for research are presented.

COVID-19’s impact on worker stress in human service organizations: The mediating role of inclusion

“…Workforce reductions and the discontinuation of certain services compelled workers to confront substantial increases in their workloads [ 12 ], adding further strain to already overburdened services and employees [ 13 ]. Moreover, the heightened expectations from citizens regarding social services have created difficulties for these workers in balancing organizational requirements, citizen requests, and professional values [ 14 ].…”