Work Reward Moderates the Association Between Work Effect and Workplace Violence Among Medical Staff in China

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Public Health
• Medical Sociology

Background:

• Workplace violence (WPV) against healthcare workers is a critical global public health concern.
• The effort-reward imbalance theory suggests rewards may buffer the link between work effort and WPV, but empirical evidence is scarce.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether work rewards moderate the relationship between work effort and WPV among medical staff in China.
• To test the applicability of the effort-reward imbalance theory in the context of healthcare WPV.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 3426 medical staff from 12 hospitals in Shandong, China.
• Work effort assessed via working hours and night shift work times per month (NSWM).
• Work reward evaluated by monthly income and perceived social status; WPV and other variables were also measured.

Main Results:

• Over half (52.2%) of medical staff experienced WPV.
• Higher working hours, NSWM, and lower perceived social status were linked to WPV (all p<0.001).
• Monthly income moderated WPV risk (p<0.05), and perceived social status moderated the NSWM-WPV association (p<0.001).

Conclusions:

• Monthly income and perceived social status can mitigate WPV, supporting the effort-reward imbalance model.
• Findings provide a basis for interventions to reduce WPV against healthcare professionals.
• Translating these insights into practice is crucial for controlling WPV in healthcare settings.