Occupational Violence and Aggression Experienced by Nursing and Caring Professionals

Autor: Brian Cooper, Helen De Cieri, Ross Donohue, Tracey Shea, Cathy Robyn Sheehan
Rok vydání: 2016
Předmět:
Zdroj: Journal of Nursing Scholarship. 49:236-243
ISSN: 1527-6546
DOI: 10.1111/jnu.12272
Popis: Occupational violence and aggression (OVA) is an increasing global phenomenon, with healthcare workers being a particularly vulnerable group (Cashmore, Indig, Hampton, Hegney, & Jalaludin, 2012; Opie et al., 2010). While there is no consensus on what constitutes OVA (Victorian Auditor General's Office, 2015), the definition we use is: "any incident where an employee is abused, threatened or assaulted in circumstances arising out of, or in the course of, their employment" (Department of Health, 2011, p. 8). Healthcare workers play a critical role in community care, but the nature of this community role exposes them to considerable risk of OVA (Victorian Auditor General's Office, 2015). A review by Spector, Zhou, and Che (2014) reported that worldwide 36% of nurses had been exposed to physical violence at work and 66% had been exposed to nonphysical violence. Among the 13 occupations studied by LeBlanc and Kelloway (2002), the second highest risk exposure and second highest violence prevalence rates occurred for nurses; police officers were the only occupational group found to experience higher levels of OVA.OVA is an important area of research in the field of occupational health and safety (OHS), not only because of societal expectations of safety and dignity at work, but also because OVA has been reported to have flow on effects beyond the initial physical or emotional impact of a violent or aggressive incident. Individual responses to exposure to physical violence and verbal aggression include increased absenteeism and turnover and reduced productivity (Schat & Kelloway, 2005). Lanctot and Guay's (2014) systematic review identified several categories of detrimental consequences of OVA, including physical, psychological, emotional, and work functioning, as well as social and financial well-being and diminished patient care. These consequences highlight the direct and indirect costs of OVA to individuals, patients, workplaces, and society in general.Comparisons across world regions undertaken by Spector et al. (2014) showed that the highest rate of exposure to OVA among nurses was in the Anglo region (i.e., Australia, New Zealand, England, Ireland, Scotland, Canada, and United States), where patients were the dominant source of physical violence. Within Australia, several studies have reported high rates of exposure to OVA in the healthcare sector (e.g., Farrell, Shafiei, & Chan, 2014; Roche, Diers, Duffield, & Catling-Paull, 2010) and, consistent with other countries, patients were the main perpetrators of violence towards nurses. However, the prevalence of OVA in the healthcare industry is unclear and requires clarification (Victorian Auditor General's Office, 2015). In response, the first aim of our study is to determine the extent and source of OVA experienced by nursing and caring professionals in the healthcare industry.Along with the call for greater understanding of the extent of the problem, Farrell et al. (2014) emphasized the need to understand the factors that protect staff and reduce risk. Research has focused on the workplace context and has shown that factors such as role overload, work demands or job strain (Magnavita, 2014; Rodwell, Demir, & Flower, 2013), poor staffing levels (Farrell & Shafiei, 2012), lack of leadership (Roche et al., 2010), and lack of social support (Magnavita, 2014) increase the likelihood of OVA.Viewing the OVA research in the context of the broader safety literature and consistent with Clissold, Buttigieg, and De Cieri (2012), we apply Bandura's (1986) social cognitive theory to understand the context for OVA. The premise of social cognitive theory is that people are considered to be completely driven by neither external stimuli nor internal factors, but rather a combination of the environment, the person, and his or her behavior. Clissold et al. (2012) argued that a triadic framework encompassing the environment, the person, and the behavior could guide research in workplace safety. …
Databáze: OpenAIRE
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