@article{ref1,
title="High strain and low social support at work as risk factors for being the target of third-party workplace violence among healthcare sector workers",
journal="La Medicina del lavoro",
year="2020",
author="Balducci, Cristian and Vignoli, Michela and Dalla Rosa, Gloria and Consiglio, Chiara",
volume="111",
number="5",
pages="388-398",
abstract="INTRODUCTION: Healthcare workers are particularly vulnerable to third-party workplace violence. The experience of work-related stress, by threatening the psychological balance of healthcare workers, making them less effective in managing the relationship with patients and their family members, may significantly contribute to third-party violence.   OBJECTIVE: To investigate whether stress-related psychosocial situations at work as defined by the widely known Demand-Control model, and the level of work-related social support, act as risk factors for third-party violence among healthcare workers. Specifically, we explored whether the risk of violence is higher in situations associated with higher levels of work-related stress (i.e., active or passive situations, and especially the high strain situation) when compared to a work situation related to lower levels of stress (i.e., low strain situation). We also explored whether the risk of violence is lower at higher levels of social support.   METHOD: Cross-sectional study on 633 healthcare workers. Psychosocial work situations and third-party workplace violence have been operationalized by using well validated scales.   RESULTS: Logistic regressions including a number of relevant covariates (e.g., gender, job role, night shift work) revealed that, compared to a low strain situation, an active or passive situation had an increased risk for workplace violence. However, the highest risk was observed for a high strain situation (i.e., the situation associated with the highest level of work-related stress). High social support acted as a protective factor.   CONCLUSION: Healthcare workers' experience of stress at work may make them more vulnerable to third-party violence. Ensuring better psychosocial working conditions may contribute to the prevention of workplace violence and its consequences.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>",
language="en",
issn="0025-7818",
doi="10.23749/mdl.v111i5.9910",
url="http://dx.doi.org/10.23749/mdl.v111i5.9910"
}