[Determinants of the aggressive behaviors in nursing staff: a multicentric study]

Nurses are at greater risk of violence during their working hours. About 31% of all aggressions towards nurses occur in hospital or in care settings. The problem of aggressions on healthcare workers is difficult to classify, as the number of aggressions is often underestimated. For this reason, the aim of this study is to analyze physical, verbal and sexual aggressions on nursing staff and identify their predictors.

A cross sectional study was performed. A sample of convenience was recruited consisting of nurses practicing in the Italian territory. The research team recruited subjects from various hospital, outpatient or territorial settings. The criteria for participation in the study were: (1) being registered nurses; (2) not being in an idle state (e.g. retirement). Multiple linear regression was used to identify the predictive variables of physical, verbal and sexual aggression.

The sample consisting of 518 nurses had an average age of 37.5 years.The sample consisted prevalently of female subjects, with medium-high educational attendance. About 90% of the sample claims to have suffered physical, verbal and / or sexual aggressions during their working hours. People with a lower educational level, belonging to the southern regions are more at risk of physical and verbal aggression, while the female gender is a predictor of sexual assaults.

The results of this study highlight how physical, verbal and sexual violence in nursing staff are non-isolated but highly frequent issues, being part of the daily working life of many health professionals.