“Why do nurses do not report”: A qualitative study of underreported workplace violence (WPV) in emergency department (ED)

Stress, interpersonal and inter-role conflicts, and psychological health conditions among nurses: vicious and virtuous circles within and beyond the wards

“…Secondly, data relies on participants’ self-reports; therefore, findings could be affected by the risk of social desirability bias as well by the underestimation/overestimation of perceived stress and conflicts by nurses. Indeed, despite we have focused on perceived conflicts rather than on episodes of violence to reduce the perceived stigma of victimization (i.e., shame, fear of judgement, blame/non-supportive environment) and fear of consequences for their selves [ 22 – 26 ], we cannot guarantee that interpersonal conflicts were underestimated and believed as not enough serious be reported. In line with this, further research could also be designed to include a wider range of sources of data.…”

“…In the present paper, we will analyse the issue of workplace violence and conflict by assessing perceived stressors linked to interpersonal conflict in nursing [ 45 ]– namely perceived stress linked to problems/conflicts with physicians, with peers, with supervisors as well as with patients and their families– rather than by assessing the frequency of episodes of violence/conflicts occurred. This choice was made given the phenomena of underreported/underestimated events of violence and conflicts– mainly non-physical ones [ 22 – 26 ]. It was indeed hoped that focusing on perceived problems and conflicts in the interpersonal life of nurses– rather than assessing events of violence within these relationships– would elicit a more open reflection on this hidden phenomenon, giving further research attention to the more subtle forms of experiences of violence in nursing.…”

“…This already high rate should however be evaluated with caution, since episodes of violence– mainly linked to exacerbation of conflicts and non-physical abuses– are still often not reported, underreported and/or partially documented by nurses, mainly due to the stigma of victimization (i.e., shame, fear of judgement, blame/non-supportive environment), fear of consequences for their selves/fear of lack of consequences for the perpetrators, as well as due to the lack of knowledge about the reporting process/systems [ 22 , 23 ]. Furthermore, there is still lack of knowledge and clarity on what constitute a violence, thus verbal abuses and exacerbation of interpersonal conflicts are often not reported since they are underestimated and believed as not enough serious to seek for support [ 24 – 26 ].…”