Citation

Suzuki Y. Bull. Kiryu Jr. Coll. 2007; 18: 79-85.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2007, Kiryu University)

DOI

unavailable

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Although it has been a long time since the nursing profession started to handle problems of violence, domestic violence quickly moved into the background as a health problem. Moral harassment is also a health matter. It is hoped that nurses will support victims regardless of their own life experiences, and it is said that deepening one's recognition of domestic violence, before learning how to provide support, is a quick way to do this. Due to domestic violence being accompanied by physical violence, there is a high degree of urgency and severity. However, as moral harassment is primarily violence through words and attitude, it is predicted that little importance is attached to it. As moral harassment is a health problem similar to domestic violence, so as to better understand, the ways in which violence is interpreted according to Japanese concepts of interaction between men and women (such as wives following their husbands, which is both recognized by, and the basis of, the nursing profession), along with how men and women speak to one another, and their attitudes, was studied. Of the 416 people within the nursing profession polled in the investigation of moral harassment, there were 377 valid responses (giving a valid response rate of 89.9%). Assuming that a victim might think that she will be hurt again if a third party is tolerant to the perpetrator due to the lack of objective evidence for moral harassment, the focal point of the study was upon the degree of tolerance for males. 163 people (43.6%) were aware of the phrase, "moral harassment." Although everyone within the medical profession was aware of domestic violence, only less than half of them were aware of moral harassment. Further, in regards to ten signs of mental violence between married couples, when there are differences in their backgrounds, such as their age, marriage history and career, etc., although there was a tendency for the traditional ideal of a wife abiding by her husband to be supported by couples according to age, career and the sharing of a long history of marriage, no major differences were seen. Also in regards to the background of the marriage, over 90% of married people viewed their own married life as better than average, but if this is seen as a cause of bias towards violence, it can also be considered that there is a slight possibility that there could be a bias due to one's own experience. Essentially, as nurses are expected to maintain an oath not to allow their own backgrounds to affect a patient's illness or support, it is preferable that they have a steady background.