Experiences of Newly Graduate Nurses With Workplace Violence: A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis

To explore and integrate qualitative evidence on the experiences of workplace violence as reported in studies involving newly graduated nurses, with a focus on its forms, coping mechanisms and resulting effects.

Qualitative meta-synthesis.

The review included qualitative studies relevant to the topic. A systematic search was conducted from database inception to September 2024. The quality of the included studies was appraised using the Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Checklist for Qualitative Research. Two reviewers independently screened titles, abstracts, and full texts before inclusion. Data analysis was conducted using a thematic synthesis approach.

A systematic literature search was conducted in eight databases: CINAHL, Scopus, Emcare, Web of Science, ProQuest, Embase, MEDLINE, and PsycINFO.

Eighteen studies were included. The synthesis identified five forms of workplace violence, four coping strategies, and five consequence domains. These findings informed a conceptual model illustrating workplace violence as a cyclical, systemically reinforced process linking its manifestations, the coping responses employed by new nurses and the resulting personal and professional impacts.

New nurses experienced cyclical and systemic workplace violence. Their coping mechanisms provided temporary relief but did not address the root causes of workplace hostility. This led to lasting negative effects and reinforced further workplace violence, requiring both individual and organisational interventions to disrupt the cycle.