Occurrence of workplace violence and the psychological consequences of it among nurses working in psychiatric outpatient settings.

There is a scarcity of studies concerning violence and its consequences in psychiatric outpatient setting. This study aimed to explore the occurrence of workplace violence and the psychological consequences of exposure to violence among nurses working in psychiatric outpatient settings. Research followed a cross-sectional survey design. Data were collected with the VIA-Q instrument. During the 12 months prior to the study, nurses (n = 181) had most often experienced psychological violence, with fatigue being the most common consequence. Harassment most often caused feelings of violated integrity, whereas physical violence most often caused insomnia. Significant relationships between exposure to violence and psychological consequences were identified. Workplace violence can manifest in a broad array of psychological symptoms and be harmful for nurses in psychiatric outpatient settings. It is important to discuss the subject of workplace violence and its place in the nursing curriculum, and to reflect on how nurses are educated and trained to face violence in psychiatric nursing. De-escalation interventions should be implemented in psychiatric outpatient settings. Organizations should take steps to abolish internal violence. Nurses need appropriate education in order to prepare them to manage workplace violence.
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