Citation

Jaradat Y, Nielsen MB, Bast-Pettersen R. Am. J. Ind. Med. 2018; 61(6): 533-537.

Affiliation

Department of Occupational Medicine and Epidemiology, National Institute of Occupational Health, Oslo, Norway.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2018, John Wiley and Sons)

DOI

10.1002/ajim.22851

PMID

29671887

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The study examined associations between workplace aggression (WPA) and psychosomatic symptoms in Palestinian nurses.

METHODS: The 341 nurses, (62% females and 38% males), answered a WHO questionnaire and a psychosomatic symptoms checklist.

RESULTS: A total of 27.3% of the nurses reported exposure to WPA of any kind within the last 12 months. After adjusting for covariates, female nurses exposed to WPA of any kind and those exposed to verbal aggression reported a higher symptom score: (1.5; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.3, 2.7), and (1.4; 95%CI 0.2, 2.6), respectively, than unexposed females. Male nurses exposed to bullying reported a higher symptom score: (3.2; 95%CI 1.0, 5.5) than unexposed males.

CONCLUSIONS: Exposure to WPA was associated with higher occurrences of psychosomatic symptoms for both sexes. The female nurses reacted most strongly to verbal aggression or to WPA of any type, while bullying was associated with the male nurses' symptoms.

© 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Language: en

Keywords

Psychosomatic symptoms; palestinian nurses; sex differences; workplace aggression