Workplace violence: prevalence and risk factors in the safe at work study.

Abstract

Nurses face one of the highest rates of reported workplace violence (WPV). This research examined the prevalence of WPV and demographic, work-related, and adult and childhood abuse histories as risk factors for WPV among 2166 nurses/nursing personnel across four health care institutions in one US metropolitan area. Using data from an online cross-sectional survey, multivariate logistic regression was utilized to determine risk factors for physical and psychological WPV. Almost one-third (30%) of nurses/nursing personnel experienced WPV (19.4% physical, 19.9% psychological). Risk factors included being a nurse, white, male, working in the emergency department, older age, longer employment, childhood abuse, and intimate partner violence. Adult and childhood abuse histories have not been considered in previous large-scale investigations, but were significant risk factors along with other previously identified risk factors for WPV.