What is it about?
Staff working in psychiatric care settings reported high rates of exposure to violence. Life-threatening violence was related to staff having PTSD symptoms, but so was general work stress. Respondents described emergency code events, direct involvement in the events, and being repeatedly exposed to violence as the most stressful experiences.
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Why is it important?
Although most people with mental disorders are not violent, and working in a psychiatric hospital can be very rewarding, this study suggests that psychiatric workers are often exposed to violence in their workplace. It adds to work showing that healthcare leaders need to address not only critical events but also general workplace stress in order to reduce workplace trauma.
Perspectives
This is the latest study in the Trauma among Psychiatric Workers project and again shows that the cumulative experience of violence and workplace stress increases the risk of PTSD.
Dr N Zoe Hilton
University of Toronto
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Perceptions of Workplace Violence and Workplace Stress: A Mixed Methods Study of Trauma among Psychiatric Workers, Issues in Mental Health Nursing, April 2021, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.1080/01612840.2021.1899350.
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Resources
Trauma among Psychiatric Workers: A Research and Knowledge Translation Project
Psychiatric hospitals can be rewarding places to work, but the work can also be stressful. The Trauma among Psychiatric Workers project ran surveys, interviews, and focus groups at psychiatric hospitals in Ontario, Canada. See our research outputs here.
Trauma among Psychiatric Workers: A Research and Knowledge Translation Project
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Read the full article at this full-text, read-only version
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