Occurrence of workplace violence and the psychological consequences of it among nurses working in psychiatric outpatient settings

Abstract

Accessible summary What is known on the subject? There is a scarcity of studies concerning violence in psychiatric outpatient settings in the 2010s in spite of the deinstitutionalization of psychiatric services. Previous research on violence in psychiatric outpatient settings has failed to consider the association between the psychological consequences of violence, exposures to violence and background factors. What the paper adds to existing knowledge? It has been known for some time that exposures to violence are harmful for psychiatric inpatient nurses; the paper demonstrates that psychiatric outpatient nurses are also at risk. The psychological consequences of exposure to violence are highly individualized and influenced by background factors. Nurses who face harassment have a greater risk of suffering psychological symptoms. What are the implications for practice? De‐escalation interventions should be implemented in psychiatric outpatient settings. Organizations should consider the possibility of internal violence occurring when planning preventive interventions to manage and reduce workplace violence. Education targeted at violence prevention, management and debriefing should be organized systematically in psychiatric outpatient units and be taken into consideration in the mental health nursing curriculum. Abstract IntroductionThere is a scarcity of studies concerning violence and its consequences in psychiatric outpatient setting. AimThis study aimed to explore the occurrence of workplace violence and the psychological consequences of exposure to violence among nurses working in psychiatric outpatient settings. MethodResearch followed a cross‐sectional survey design. Data were collected with the VIA‐Q instrument. ResultsDuring the 12 months prior to the study, nurses (n = 181) had most often experienced psychological violence, with fatigue being the most common consequence. Harassment most often caused feelings of violated integrity, whereas physical violence most often caused insomnia. Significant relationships between exposure to violence and psychological consequences were identified. DiscussionWorkplace violence can manifest in a broad array of psychological symptoms and be harmful for nurses in psychiatric outpatient settings. It is important to discuss the subject of workplace violence and its place in the nursing curriculum and to reflect on how nurses are educated and trained to face violence in psychiatric nursing. Implications for PracticeDe‐escalation interventions should be implemented in psychiatric outpatient settings. Organizations should take steps to abolish internal violence. Nurses need appropriate education in order to prepare them to manage workplace violence.

Impact of workplace violence on South Korean nurses' turnover intention: Mediating and moderating roles of depressive symptoms

“…Therefore, in order to prevent WPV, hospitals need to secure a sufficient number of nurses per patient and implement a WPV prevention and response program. In particular, nurses working in emergency and psychiatric departments have more experiences of violence (Copeland & Henry, 2018; Konttila et al., 2021). Therefore, it is necessary to conduct effective risk assessments in consideration of the department, and appropriate staffing and training are needed to help nurses cope with violence.…”

Attitudes of psychiatric nurses towards aggression: A polish study

“…Behavioural changes in nurses' view of aggression will lead to fewer conflicts between staff and patients, which, in turn, will lead to fewer patients being restrained (Tomagová et al, 2016). This is supported by researchers in other countries, who have concluded that there is a need for training programmes in order to change staff attitudes (Al-Awawdeh et al, 2016;James et al, 2011;Konttila et al, 2020;Tomagová et al, 2016).…”

Reducing workplace violence in gasoline stations and convenience stores.

“…Violence in the workplace increases the risk of severe stress among employees. In addition, workplace violence has been associated with a lack of quality sleep, depression, fatigue, insomnia, and post-traumatic stress disorder among employees [Andersen et al 2021;Lanctôt and Guay 2014;Konttila et al 2021]. Exposure to violence should never be accepted as part of any job [NIOSH 1996[NIOSH , 2004].…”