Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Assaults against nurses of general and psychiatric hospitals in Taiwan

  • Original Article
  • Published:
International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose

Nurses are at risk of occupational assaults. However, the incidence and effects have not been documented among nurses in Taiwan. We aimed to study the incidence of assaults and their effects, including quality of life and job-related stress among nurses.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted to understand the incidence of work-related assaults in nurses. Job content questionnaire was used to determine the job control, psychological demands at work, and workplace support in these nurses. Quality of life was assessed by short form-36 (SF-36).

Results

A total of 842 nurses satisfactorily completed the questionnaire, including 375 from general hospitals and 467 from psychiatric hospitals. A total of 237 (28.1%) reported to have experienced physical and/or verbal assaults in past 6 months. Experiences of sexual assault or verbal abuse were risk factors for feeling threatened by potential attacks. Nurses who felt threatened by potential attacked scored lower in general health, mental health, and vitality by SF-36, and had higher psychological demands at work, lower job control, and lower workplace support.

Conclusion

We conclude that nurses in general and psychiatric hospitals had high risk of assaults. Worksite assaults caused nurses to feel threatened, and such an effect was likely to cause increased job stress and decreased quality of life.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Amick BC, Kawachi I, Coakley EH, Lerner D, Levine S, Colditz GA (1998) Relationship of job strain and iso-strain to health status in a cohort of women in the United States. Scand J Work Environ Health 24:54–61

    Google Scholar 

  • Anderson C (2003) Report of workplace violence by Hispanic nurses. J Transcult Nurs 14:237–243

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baxter E, Hafner RJ, Holme G (1992) Assaults by patients: the experience and attitudes of psychiatric hospital nurses. Australas Psychiatry 26:567–573

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Caplan RD, Jones KE (1975) Effect of workload, role ambiguity and Type A personality on anxiety, depression and heart rate. J Appl Psychol 60:713–719

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chen YS, Chen MC, Chou FHC, Sun FC, Chen PC, Tsai KY, Chao SS (2007) The relationship between quality of life and posttraumatic stress disorder or major depression for firefighters in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Qual Life Res 16:1289–1297

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cheng Y, Guo YL, Yeh WY (2001) A national survey of psychosocial job stressors and their implications for health among working people in Taiwan. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 74:495–504

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cheng Y, Luh WM, Guo YL (2002) Reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Job Content Questionnaire (C-JCQ) in Taiwanese workers. Int J Behav Med 10:15–30

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Cumming TG, Cooper CL (1979) A cybernetic framework for studying occupational stress. Hum Relat 32:395–481

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fitzgerald S, Dienenmann J, Cadorette M (1998) Domestic violence in the workplace. Plast Surg Nurs 18:219–232

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Fuh JL, Wang SJ, Lu SR, Juang KD, Lee SJ (2000) Psychometric evaluation of a Chinese (Taiwanese) version of the SF-36 health survey amongst middle-aged women from a rural community. Qual Life Res 9:675–683

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gates DM (2004) The epidemic of violence against healthcare workers. Occup Environ Med 61:649–650

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gates D, Fitzwater E, Succop P (2003) Predicting assaults against caregivers in nursing homes. Issues Ment Health Nurs 24:775–793

    Google Scholar 

  • Gerberich SG, Church TR, McGovern PM, Hansen HE, Nachreiner NM, Geisser MS et al (2004) An epidemiological study of the magnitude and consequences of work related violence: the Minnesota nurses’ Study. Occup Environ Med 61:495–503

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Gerberich SG, Church TR, McGovern PM, Hansen H, Nachreiner NM, Geisser MS et al (2005) Risk factors for work-related assaults on nurses. Epidemiology 16:704–709

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Johnson JE, Hall EM, Theorell T (1989) Combined effects of job strain and social isolation on cardiovascular disease morbidity and mortality in a random sample of the Swedish male working population. Scand J Work Environ Health 15:271–279

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Karasek R, Theorell T (1990) Health, work-stress, productivity, and the reconstruction of working life. Basic Books, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Karasek R, Baker D, Marxer F, Ahlbom A, Theorell T (1981) Job decision latitude, job demands, and cardiovascular disease: a prospective study of Swedish men. Am J Public Health 71:694–705

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Landsbergis PA (1988) Occupational stress among health care workers: a test of the job demands-control model. J Organ Behav 9:217–239

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Landsbergis PA, Schnall PL, Deitz D, Friedman R, Pickering T (1992) The patterning of psychological attributes and distress by “job strain” and social support in a sample of working men. J Behav Med 15:379–405

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lee SHS, Gerberich SG, Waller LA, Anderson A, McGovern P (1999) Work-related assault injuries among nurses. Epidemiology 10:685–691

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Levin PJ, Hewitt JB, Misner ST (1998) Insights of nurses about assault in hospital-based emergency departments. Image J Nurs Sch 30:249–254

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lin YH, Liu HE (2005) The impact of workplace violence on nurses in South Taiwan. Int J Nurs Stud 42:773–778

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mayer BW, Smith F, King C (1999) Factors associated with victimization of personnel in emergency departments. J Emerg Nurs 25:361–366

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rock DJ, Judd K, Hallmayer JF (2008) The seasonal relationship between assault and homicide in England and Wales. Injury 39:1047–1053

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rose M (1997) A survey of violence toward nursing staff in one large Irish accident and emergency department. J Emerg Nurs 23:214–219

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenberg ML, O’Carroll PW, Powell KE (1992) Let’s be clear: violence is a public health problem. JAMA 267:3071–3072

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Rosenthal TL, Edwards NB, Rosenthal RH, Ackerman BJ (1992) Hospital violence: site, severity, and nurses’ preventive training. Issues Ment Health Nurs 13:349–356

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Salim MA, Ahmad KA, Shadia KAl-S, Najwa EG, Mariam Al-R (2002) Violence against nurses in healthcare facilities in Kuwait. Int J Nurs Stud 39:469–478

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • SAS Institute (1989–2002) JMP Statistical Software 5.0. SAS Institute Inc, Cary, NC

  • Schnall PL, Landsbergis PA, Baker D (1994) Job strain and cardiovascular disease. Ann Rev Public Health 15:381–411

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Seago JA, Faucett F (1997) Job strain among registered nurses and other hospital workers. JONA 27:19–25

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Shen HC, Cheng Y, Tsai PJ, Lee SHS, Guo YL (2005) Work stress in nurses in psychiatric institutions in Taiwan. J Occup Health 47:218–225

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shiao JSC, Lin MS, Shih TS, Jagger J, Chen CJ (2008) National incidence of percutaneous injury in Taiwan healthcare workers—estimated using EPINet surveillance data. Res Nurs Health 31:172–179

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (2006) Guidelines for Preventing Workplace Violence for Health Care & Social Service Workers. Retrieved from http://www.osha.gov/Publications/osha3148.pdf on 16 February 2009

  • Vincent M, White K (1994) Patient violence toward a nurse: predictable and preventable? J Psychosoc Nurs Ment Health Serv 32:30–32

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Wang SJ, Fuh JL, Lu SR, Juang KD (2001) Quality of life differs among headache diagnoses: analysis of SF-36 survey in 901 headache patients. Pain 89:285–292

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Warchol G (1998) Workplace Violence 1992–96. US Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report NCJ 168634

  • Ware JE, Snow KK, Kosinski M, Gandek B (1993) SF-36 health survey: manual and interpretation guide. Nimrod Press, Boston

    Google Scholar 

  • Whittington R, Wykes T (1994) Violence in psychiatric hospitals: are certain staff prone to being assaulted? J Adv Nurs 19:219–225

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Whittington R, Shuttleworth S, Hill L (1996) Violence to staff in a general hospital setting. J Adv Nurs 24:326–333

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Yo YC, Wang LM, Lee JS (1998) Emergency department and violence issues. Clin Med 41:364–371

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

We greatly appreciate all participants of Chinese EPINet. This study is supported by the Center for Medical Employee’s Safety and Health (C-MESH) of Taiwan.

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nursing, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University (NTU) & NTU Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan

    Judith Shu-Chu Shiao

  2. Department of Environmental and Occupational Health, College of Medicine, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan

    Yuntin Tseng

  3. Department of Nursing, Chang Hwa University of Medical Technology, Tainan County, Taiwan

    Yueh-Tzu Hsieh & Jui-Yeh Hou

  4. Department of Health Policy and Management, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan

    Yawen Cheng

  5. Department of Environmental and Occupational Medicine, College of Medicine, National Taiwan University (NTU) & NTU Hospital, Rm 339, 17 SyuJhou Road, Taipei, 100, Taiwan

    Yueliang Leon Guo

Authors
  1. Judith Shu-Chu Shiao
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Yuntin Tseng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Yueh-Tzu Hsieh
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Jui-Yeh Hou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Yawen Cheng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Yueliang Leon Guo
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Yueliang Leon Guo.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Shiao, J.SC., Tseng, Y., Hsieh, YT. et al. Assaults against nurses of general and psychiatric hospitals in Taiwan. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 83, 823–832 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-009-0501-y

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-009-0501-y

Keywords

Search

Navigation