Affiliation:
1. College of Community Health Nursing, Winneba, Ghana
2. University of Ghana
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Workplace violence has been identified as an endemic problem affecting all healthcare workers, especially mental health nurses. In the health sector, less emphasis has been paid to workplace violence, with most studies on violence taking place in high-income nations and only a handful in low- and middle-income countries. This study investigates the prevalence and consequences of workplace violence among mental health nurses working in Accra Psychiatric Hospital, Ghana.
Methods
Data were collected from 233 mental health nurses using a cross-sectional approach and adapted the Workplace Violence in the Health Sector Country Case Studies Research Instrument to collect data on the prevalence and self-reported consequences of workplace violence among nurses. Data were analysed with SPSS Version 23.0 and Microsoft Excel 2008, using descriptive statistics and results presented in tables.
Results
Workplace violence was identified to be prevalent among nurses working in the hospital with 21.9%, 52.8%, and 6.0% reporting physical violence, verbal abuse and sexual harassment cases, respectively. Consequences of workplace violence include being super alert or watchful and on guard; difficulty avoiding thinking about or talking about the event or having feelings related to it; disturbing images/memories/thoughts of the event and feeling sick.
Conclusion
Workplace violence is prevalent among nurses and impacts their health and safety. Ensuring effective strategies and procedures for reducing and reporting violence will help find a lasting solution to workplace violence among mental health nurses.
Publisher
Research Square Platform LLC
Reference38 articles.
1. International Labour Office/International Council of Nurses/ World Health Organisation/Public Services International (ILO/ICN/WHO/PSI). Framework Guidelines for Addressing Workplace Violence in the Health Sector. 2002.
2. World Health Organization. Violence Against Health Workers [Internet]. 2019 [cited 2019 Dec 29]. Available from: https://www.who.int/violence_injury_prevention/violence/workplace/en/.
3. Faghihi M, Farshad A, Abhari MB, Azadi N, Mansourian M. The components of workplace violence against nurses from the perspective of women working in a hospital in Tehran: a qualitative study. BMC Womens Health [Internet]. 2021;21(1):1–13. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12905-021-01342-0.
4. Legesse H, Assefa N, Tesfaye D, Birhanu S, Tesi S, Wondimneh F et al. Workplace violence and its associated factors among nurses working in public hospitals of eastern Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study. BMC Nurs [Internet]. 2022;21(1):1–10. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12912-022-01078-8.
5. Pich J, Roche M. Violence on the Job: The Experiences of Nurses and Midwives with Violence from Patients and Their Friends and Relatives. Healthcare [Internet]. 2020;8(4):1–12. Available from: https://www.mdpi.com/2227-9032/8/4/522.