Workplace Violence and Health Status of Female Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Abstract

As a female-dominant profession, nurses are at risk of workplace violence. However, the health outcomes of workplace violence among female nurses have been mostly studied in isolation from their history of lifetime violence experiences. Although social and organizational factors shape workplace violence, our understanding of its effects on female nurses' health is limited in different cultural contexts. This study examined how workplace violence affects the physical and mental health and the frequency of medication intake and sick leave of nurses employed in the Saudi healthcare system while controlling for the effect of lifetime violence experiences. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 340 female nurses working in tertiary hospitals in Saudi Arabia. Among the female nurses, 67.6% had experienced at least one act of workplace violence during the last 12 months. The highest level of workplace violence was recorded in nurses employed in psychiatric units. After controlling for the effect of child abuse and partner violence, workplace violence is associated with female nurses' physical health ( $\beta$  = 0.335, t(336) = 6.73, p < 0.001), mental health ( $\beta$  = 0.224, t(336) = 4.09, p < 0.001), medication intake ( $\beta$  = 0.240, t(336) = 4.45, p < 0.001), and frequency of sick leave days ( $\beta$  = 0.206, t(336) = 3.82, p < 0.001). The results indicate a need for a zero-tolerance policy against workplace violence and multidimensional strategies to address the issue. Additionally, gender and multi-component health interventions for female nurses who are survivors of violence are needed.