Mental health problems among healthcare professionals following the workplace violence issue-mediating effect of risk perception

Abstract

Although there have been numerous studies on mental wellbeing impairment or other negative consequences of Workplace Violence (WPV) against healthcare professionals, however, the effects of WPV are not limited to those who experience WPV in person, but those who exposed to WPV information indirectly. In the aftermath of “death of Dr. Yang Wen,” a cross-sectional study was conducted to explore the psychological status of healthcare professionals. A total of 965 healthcare professionals from 32 provinces in China participated in our research. The prevalence rates of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms, depression, anxiety among healthcare professional in the current study were 25.60, 46.01, and 27.88%, respectively. Moreover, our research suggested that the awareness of WPV-incident had a significant association with PTSD symptoms. In addition, risk perception was shown to mediate the effect of WPV awareness on PTSD symptoms. Furthermore, the present research also found a U-shaped relationship between issue salience and PTSD symptoms, and the relationship between issue salience and anxiety, indicating that higher awareness of WPV issue was negatively related to mental health status (including PTSD and anxiety) but only to the points at which there were no additional effects of more issue salience. This study highlighted that more protective measures for healthcare professionals need to be implemented in response to potential WPV events. More importantly, risk perception was found to mediate the effect of WPV issue salience on PTSD symptoms, it is critical to reduce the mental health burden through intervening in risk perception.

How Do Disaster Relief Nurses in Japan Perceive and Respond to Risks? A Cross-Sectional Study

“…This approach allowed the examination of DRNs’ nuanced understanding of risks, which is crucial for both the training of DRNs and their effectiveness in disaster response scenarios. Notably, the psychological impact of risk perception among healthcare professionals can be significant and affects not only the mental well-being but also the performance of these professionals in high-stress scenarios [ 17 ]. Therefore, understanding the nuances of risk perception among DRNs is not only an academic exercise but a practical necessity.…”

“…For instance, the findings challenge whether current training modules adequately address the psychological aspects of risk, especially in high-stress environments such as disaster zones. This issue is particularly relevant given that risk perception has been shown to influence psychological distress among healthcare workers [ 17 ]. Future studies should also explore the impact of organizational culture—a potential key influencing factor in disaster response effectiveness—on DRNs’ risk perceptions.…”