Violence, aggression and traumatic incidents in the workplace: a study of nursing staff employed in acute in-patient psychiatric care in Royal Dundee Liff Hospital

Abstract

Nursing staff employed in acute psychiatric care are exposed to incidents of violence, aggression and trauma at a rate far higher than that of the general population. Such staff are at an increased risk of developing psychological symptomatology and/or burnout in response to such stressors. The aims of this study are to investigate the incidence of these and other stressors within a sample of nursing staff, to examine variables within this sample which might mediate or moderate the effects of such stressors, and to examine the outcomes or responses of individuals to these variables. This study investigates the relationship between these variables, and in so doing builds on existing research and models for understanding occupational stress. Semi-structured interviews and questionnaire measures were carried out with a sample of fifty-nine members of nursing staff employed in acute in-patient psychiatric care in Royal Dundee Liff Hospital. The results are discussed in the context of the current literature, and the implications of high levels of psychological symptomatology and burnout in the nursing service are considered.