Workplace Violence and Health Status of Female Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Study

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Public Health
• Sociology

Background:

• Female-dominated nursing profession faces significant workplace violence risks.
• Existing research often isolates workplace violence from prior lifetime trauma.
• Understanding cultural contexts is crucial for addressing workplace violence impacts on nurses' health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the effects of workplace violence on female nurses' physical and mental health.
• To assess the association between workplace violence and medication intake and sick leave frequency.
• To control for the influence of lifetime violence experiences (child abuse, partner violence) in the Saudi healthcare system.

Main Methods:

• Cross-sectional study design.
• Involved 340 female nurses from tertiary hospitals in Saudi Arabia.
• Data collected on workplace violence experiences in the past 12 months and lifetime violence history.

Main Results:

• 67.6% of female nurses reported experiencing workplace violence in the last 12 months.
• Psychiatric units showed the highest prevalence of workplace violence.
• Workplace violence was significantly associated with adverse physical health, mental health, increased medication intake, and higher sick leave frequency, even after controlling for lifetime violence.

Conclusions:

• Urgent need for a zero-tolerance policy against workplace violence in healthcare settings.
• Multidimensional strategies are required to effectively address and mitigate workplace violence.
• Development of gender- and culturally-sensitive, multi-component health interventions for female nurses, particularly survivors of violence.