Prevalence of Workplace Violence and Associated Factors Against Nurses Working in Public Health Facilities in Southern Ethiopia

Overview

Journal Risk Manag Healthc Policy

Publisher Dove Medical Press

Specialty Public Health

Date 2020 Oct 16

PMID 33061720

Citations 14

Authors

Haymanot Nigussie Weldehawaryat

Feleke Gebremeskel Weldehawariat

Firdawek Getahun Negash

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Workplace violence is an important challenge faced by healthcare providers, especially nurses, throughout the world. But this issue is neglected in developing countries, including Ethiopia. Therefore, the objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of workplace violence and associated factors against nurses working in public health facilities.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in public health facilities in Gamo Gofa zone from February to March 2018. A simple random sampling technique was used to select 354 study respondents from selected public health facilities. The data was collected using a self-administered, pre-tested, and structured questionnaire and analyzed by using SPSS version 21. Descriptive analysis was made and both bi-variable and multivariable logistic regression were applied to identify the factors associated with workplace violence against nurses.

Results: Out of the 348 participants, 150 (43.1%) nurses had experienced workplace violence. Among these, 47 (13.5%) had faced physical violence, 98 (28.2%) had verbal abuse, 36 (10.3%) were bullied/mobbed, and 25 (7.2%) faced sexual harassment at least once in the last 12 months. Patients' relatives were the leading perpetrators in physical, verbal violence, and bullying, accounting 55.3%, 46.9%, and 36.1%, respectively. Female nurses (AOR=1.98; 95% CI=(1.21, 3.25), those who live without a spouse (AOR=1.98; 95% CI=(1.22, 3.22), those who drink alcohol (AOR=1.88; 95% CI=(1.03, 3.44), and those who chew chat (AOR=3.24; 95% CI=(1.25, 8.45) were more likely to suffer from workplace violence in public health facilities.

Conclusion: The prevalence of workplace violence against nurses was high. In addition, the characteristics of the occurrences of different types of violence are different beginning from the perpetrators' characteristics to the measures taken by the nurses. In addition, sex, marital status, drinking alcohol, and chewing chat were found statistically significant factors influencing workplace violence against nurses.

Citing Articles

Workplace violence and associated factors against nurses working in public hospitals in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Ferede Y, Zeleke A, Beyene J, Nigate G, Tassew W BMC Nurs. 2025; 24(1):46.

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Magnitude of workplace violence and its associated factors against nurses working in public hospitals of Western Ethiopia: a cross-sectional study.

Temesgen S, Atomsa L, Teklehymanot D, Tiki T, Ahmed S BMC Nurs. 2024; 23(1):843.

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Perpetrators of gender-based workplace violence amongst nurses and physicians-A scoping review of the literature.

Ayaz B, Dozois G, Baumann A, Fuseini A, Nelson S PLOS Glob Public Health. 2024; 4(9):e0003646.

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A gender-based review of workplace violence amongst the global health workforce-A scoping review of the literature.

Nelson S, Ayaz B, Baumann A, Dozois G PLOS Glob Public Health. 2024; 4(7):e0003336.

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Health service providers experience of psycho-emotional violence and associated factors among urban hospitals in Eastern Ethiopia.

Tolera A, Weldesenbet A, Regassa L, Tusa B, Merga B, Tariku M Front Public Health. 2024; 12:1361243.

PMID: 38765488 PMC: 11100414. DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2024.1361243.

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