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Well-Being and Safety Among Inpatient Psychiatric Staff: The Impact of Conflict, Assault, and Stress Reactivity

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Abstract

Psychiatric staff are faced with multiple forms of hostility, aggression, and assault at work, collectively referred to as workplace violence, which typically is activated by patients but can also come from coworkers and supervisors. Whether workplace violence adversely affects staff well-being may be related not only to its presence, but also to an individual’s stress reactivity. At a large public psychiatric hospital, an online survey was completed by 323 clinical care staff, of whom 69.5 % had experienced physical assault in the previous 12 months. Staff well-being (depression, anger, and physical health) and staff safety concerns were adversely affected by conflicts with other staff members and by individual reactivity to social conflict and to assault. To improve staff well-being, in addition to safety protocols, interventions should target staff relationships, personal health maintenance practices, and individual coping skills for dealing with adverse workplace experiences.

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Acknowledgments

We would like to thank Patton State Hospital for their participation. This study would not have been possible without the input and support of Carlos Luna, George Christison, Cindy Barrett, and the entire executive staff. Fellowship support was provided by the Clinical Translational Science Institute at the University of California, Los Angeles and the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health. Erin Kelly’s contribution to this project was partially supported by Grant UL1TR000124 from the National Center for Research Resources of the National Institutes of Health. The content is solely the responsibility of the author and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Center for Research Resources or the National Institutes of Health.

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Kelly, E.L., Fenwick, K., Brekke, J.S. et al. Well-Being and Safety Among Inpatient Psychiatric Staff: The Impact of Conflict, Assault, and Stress Reactivity. Adm Policy Ment Health 43, 703–716 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-015-0683-4

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