Workplace violence and its association with quality of life among mental health professionals in China during the COVID-19 pandemic

Xie, Xiao Meng; Zhao, Yan; An, Feng Rong; Zhang, Qing E.; Yu, Hai; Yuan, Zhen; Cheung, Teris; Ng, Chee H.; Xiang, Yu Tao

doi:10.1016/j.jpsychires.2021.01.023

Cited by 50 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 26 publications

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“…Almost half of the participants (49.23%) reported having suffered some type of violence during the pandemic, and 30% of that group had not been victims of violence before the pandemic this reflects what has been observed in other studies. Corroborating our study, another one carried out with Chinese health professionals also showed that those who suffered violence in the workplace had a lower quality of life (25). In addition, a study in Saudi Arabia demonstrated the risk factors associated with higher levels of anxiety: being a nurse, having a previous history of anxiety, having a chronic disease and being a smoker (26).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

The Impact of Violence on the Anxiety Levels of Healthcare Personnel During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Bitencourt

Silva

Alarcão³

et al. 2021

Front. Psychiatry

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Introduction: The COVID-19 pandemic stressed the importance of healthcare personnel. However, there is evidence of an increase in violence against them, which brings consequences, such as anxiety. The aim of this study was to analyze the anxiety levels of health professionals who have or not suffered violence during the COVID-19 pandemic, and verify the variables associated with the risk of starting to take medication for anxiety.Methods: We assessed the anxiety profile of health professionals in Brazil through an online questionnaire, using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item Scale (GAD-7), in relation to groups of participants who have or not suffered violence during the COVID-19 pandemic. We used Cronbach's alpha reliability coefficient to check the consistency of the responses, and the effect size using the r coefficient. Principal Component Analysis was used to verify the differences in anxiety scores between the two groups. Logistic regression analysis was also used to verify the variables associated with the risk of starting medication for anxiety and considered statistically significant when p < 0.05.Results: A total of 1,166 health professionals participated in the study, in which 34.13% had a normal anxiety profile, 40.14% mild, 15.78% moderate, and 9.95% severe. The mean score of the sum of the GAD-7 was 7.03 (SD 5.20). The group that suffered violence had a higher mean (8.40; SD 5.42) compared to the group that did not (5.70; SD 4.60). In addition, the median between both groups was significantly different (7.0 vs. 5.0; p < 0.01). Approximately 18.70% of the participants reported having started taking medication to treat anxiety during the pandemic. The factors that increased the chances of these professionals starting medication for anxiety p < 0.05 were having suffered violence during the pandemic (OR 1.97; 95% CI 1.42–2.77), being nurses (OR 1.61; 95% CI 1.04–2.47) or other types of health professionals (OR 1.58; 95% CI 1.04–2.38), and having a mild (OR 2.11; 95% CI 1.37–3.34), moderate (OR 4.05; 95% CI 2.48–6.71) or severe (OR 9.08; 95% CI 5.39–15.6) anxiety level.Conclusion: Brazilian healthcare professionals who have suffered violence during the pandemic have higher anxiety scores and higher risk to start taking anxiety medication.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 78%

The Impact of Violence on the Anxiety Levels of Healthcare Personnel During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Bitencourt

Silva

Alarcão³

et al. 2021

Front. Psychiatry

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…The global and rapidly expanding pandemic has placed unprecedented pressures on healthcare systems all over the world. Due to heavy clinical workloads, low clinician-patient ratio, and stressful work settings, HCWs are vulnerable to high risk of WPV (Xie et al 2021 ). They have withstood to keep up with the intensifying care needs, and many healthcare structures have suffered enormous difficulties to their provision of healthcare services (Huang et al 2020 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Workplace violence among healthcare workers during COVID-19 pandemic in a Jordanian governmental hospital: the tip of the iceberg

Ghareeb

El-Shafei

Eladl

2021

Environ Sci Pollut Res

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During the COVID-19 pandemic, significant cases of violence, intimidation, or stigmatization were targeted at healthcare workers (HCWs), patients, and medical infrastructure. These occurrences were most likely just the “tip of the iceberg,” with much more remaining unnoticed. The present study’s purpose was to assess the frequency, characteristics, effects, and contributing factors of workplace violence (WPV) committed against HCWs in AlKarak Governmental Hospital (KGH), South Jordan, during the COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 382 HCWs (170 physicians and 212 nurses) working in the KGH, Jordan, during January and February 2021, using a semi-structured questionnaire. The current study showed that most participants (65.5%) reported exposure to WPV, mainly verbal violence (52.0%), and patients’ relatives were the principal perpetrators in most incidents. The regular reporting of these incidents is deficient. The victims suffered psychological and physical effects. These assaults on healthcare facilities highlight the importance of effective risk communication at all levels of society to minimize anxiety, stigma, and, eventually, WPV. The way we communicate about COVID-19 is vital in motivating people to take proactive steps to fight the disease and safeguard healthcare.

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“…There is a relationship between life experiences and the development of a better response in facing the difficulties and uncertainties of clinical practice [ 38 ]. Professional experience can have influence on posture, how to deal with conflict situations and interpersonal relationships, as proven by other studies, which found that professionals with longer work experience time were less likely to face violence at their workplace, because they might have better skills in managing conflicts with patients [ 39 ]. A study carried out with general practitioners and nurses showed that younger people are more likely to suffer violence at work.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predictors of violence against health professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil: A cross-sectional study

et al. 2021

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Background The increase in violence against health professionals in the COVID-19 pandemic makes it necessary to identify the predictors of violence, in order to prevent these events from happening. Objective Evaluating the prevalence and analyzing the variables involved in the occurrence of violence against health professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil. Method This is a cross-sectional study conducted online involving Brazilian health professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic. The data were collected through a structured questionnaire (Google Online Form) sent to health professionals on social networks and analyzed through logistic regression by using sociodemographic variables. The set of grouped variables was assigned to the final model when p <0.05. A network was built using the Mixed Graph Models (MGM) approach. A centrality measurement chart was constructed to determine which nodes have the greatest influence, strength and connectivity between the nodes around them. Results The predictors of violence in the adjusted regression model were the following: being a nursing technician / assistant; having been working for less than 20 years; working for over 37 hours a week; having suffered violence before the pandemic; having been contaminated with COVID-19; working in direct contact with patients infected by the virus; and having family members who have suffered violence. The network created with professionals who suffered violence demonstrated that the aggressions occurred mainly in the workplace, with an indication of psycho-verbal violence. In cases in which the aggressors were close people, aggressions were non-verbal and happened both in public and private places. The assaults practiced by strangers occurred in public places. Conclusions Violence against health professionals occurs implicitly and explicitly, with consequences that can affect both their psychosocial well-being and the assistance given to their patients and families.

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Workplace violence and its association with quality of life among mental health professionals in China during the COVID-19 pandemic

Cited by 50 publications

References 26 publications

The Impact of Violence on the Anxiety Levels of Healthcare Personnel During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The Impact of Violence on the Anxiety Levels of Healthcare Personnel During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Workplace violence among healthcare workers during COVID-19 pandemic in a Jordanian governmental hospital: the tip of the iceberg

Predictors of violence against health professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic in Brazil: A cross-sectional study

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