Document Type : Original Article
Author
1 Community Nursing Research Center, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
2 Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
Abstract
Background: Workplace violence is a widespread phenomenon with a cultural and context-based nature. Understanding the various dimensions of this phenomenon is crucial for developing effective interventions to prevent and manage workplace violence. Accordingly, the present study aimed to analyze the concept of workplace violence experienced by nurses in Iran.
Methods: The concept was defined using Schwartz and Kim’s three-stage hybrid concept analysis method. In the theoretical phase, the literature was reviewed and analyzed using Walker and Avant’s approach, and in the fieldwork phase, 18 unstructured in-depth interviews were conducted with clinical nurses, and the collected data were analyzed using the conventional content analysis method. The participants were selected through purposive sampling, and the data were analyzed using Graneheim and Lundman’s approach. During the final analytical phase, the findings from the theoretical and fieldwork phases were integrated to provide a comprehensive definition of the concept of workplace violence.
Results: Workplace violence against nurses involves a range of behaviors or actions that threaten human dignity and professional reputation with or without intention, which are applied in the workplace or related situations by the patient, caregiver, manager, or colleague, against an individual or group of nurses and is perceived as nurses’ exposure to physical violence, psychological violence, honour insult, or religious-ethnic insult, whether explicit or implicit, intermittent or continuous, and mild to severe.
Conclusion: The results of this study can be utilized to develop a tool to measure workplace violence and design interventions to prevent and manage workplace violence.
Highlights
Fereshteh Najafi (PubMed) (Google Scholar)
Keywords
- Rossi MF, Beccia F, Cittadini F, Amantea C, Aulino G, Santoro PE, et al. Workplace violence against healthcare workers: an umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Public Health. 2023;221:50-9. doi: 10.1016/j. puhe.2023.05.021.
- Fricke J, Siddique SM, Douma C, Ladak A, Burchill CN, Greysen R, et al. Workplace violence in healthcare settings: a scoping review of guidelines and systematic reviews. Trauma Violence Abuse. 2023;24(5):3363-83. doi: 10.1177/15248380221126476.
- Wubneh CA, liyew B, Kassew T. Prevalence and forms of workplace violence against nurses. Int J Afr Nurs Sci. 2023;19:100620. doi: 10.1016/j.ijans.2023.100620 .
- Zeighami M, Mangolian Shahrbabaki P, Dehghan M. Iranian nurses’ experiences with sexual harassment in workplace: a qualitative study. Sex Res Social Policy. 2023;20(2):575-88. doi: 10.1007/s13178-022-00688-w.
- Rony MK, Das Sharmi P, Parvin MR, Kayesh I, Alamgir HM. Prevalence and risk factors of workplace violence against healthcare workers in Bangladesh and its consequences: a nationwide cross-sectional study. Inform Med Unlocked. 2023;41:101335. doi: 10.1016/j.imu.2023.101335.
- Yang HL, Tai JC, Wang CH, Shyu YK, Chou KR, Pien LC. Workplace violence, work characteristics, and seniority levels among nurses: a cross-sectional study. BMC Nurs. 2025;24(1):281. doi: 10.1186/s12912-025-02887-3.
- Foroughian M, Ghafourian T, Farzaneh R, Abbasi B, Khadem Rezaiyan M, Hakemi A, et al. Prevalence and characteristics of violence among health care workers in Mashhad. J Emerg Health Care. 2024;13(1):21-32.
- Dalvand S, Ghanei Gheshlagh R, Najafi F, Zahednezhad H, Sayehmiri K. The prevalence of workplace violence against Iranian nurses: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Shiraz E Med J. 2018;19(9):e65923. doi: 10.5812/semj.65923.
- Abu Ras I. The factors that affect violence against nurses in emergency departments. Heliyon. 2023;9(3):e14306. doi: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14306.
- Najafi F, Fallahi-Khoshknab M, Ahmadi F, Dalvandi A, Rahgozar M. Antecedents and consequences of workplace violence against nurses: a qualitative study. J Clin Nurs. 2018;27(1-2):e116-28. doi: 10.1111/jocn.13884.
- Zhang Y, Cai J, Yin R, Qin S, Wang H, Shi X, et al. Prevalence of lateral violence in nurse workplace: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMJ Open. 2022;12(3):e054014. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-054014.
- Magnavita N, Larese Filon F, Giorgi G, Meraglia I, Chirico F. Assessing workplace violence: methodological considerations. Med Lav. 2024;115(1):e2024003. doi: 10.23749/mdl. v115i1.15186.
- Lyver B, Gorla J, Schulz-Quach C, Anderson M, Singh B, Hanagan T, et al. Identifying quality indicators to measure workplace violence in healthcare settings: a rapid review. BMC Emerg Med. 2024;24(1):29. doi: 10.1186/s12873-024- 00943-w.
- Al-Qadi MM. Workplace violence in nursing: a concept analysis. J Occup Health. 2021;63(1):e12226. doi: 10.1002/1348-9585.12226.
- Boyle MJ, Wallis J. Working towards a definition for workplace violence actions in the health sector. Saf Health. 2016;2(1):4. doi: 10.1186/s40886-016-0015-8.
- Najafi F, Fallahi-Khoshknab M, Ahmadi F, Dalvandi A, Rahgozar M. Human dignity and professional reputation under threat: Iranian nurses’ experiences of workplace violence. Nurs Health Sci. 2017;19(1):44-50. doi: 10.1111/nhs.12297.
- Wiskow C. Guidelines on workplace violence in the health sector. Geneva: World Health Organization, International Labour Office; 2003. p. 1-40.
- Zhang J, Zheng J, Cai Y, Zheng K, Liu X. Nurses’ experiences and support needs following workplace violence: a qualitative systematic review. J Clin Nurs. 2021;30(1-2):28-43. doi: 10.1111/jocn.15492.
- Shapiro J. “Violence” in medicine: necessary and unnecessary, intentional and unintentional. Philos Ethics Humanit Med. 2018;13(1):7. doi: 10.1186/s13010-018-0059-y.
- Cho Y, Lim K, Kim H. Patient violence towards mental health nurses: a concept analysis. Perspect Psychiatr Care. 2023;2023(1):9496021. doi: 10.1155/2023/9496021.
- Spencer C, Sitarz J, Fouse J, DeSanto K. Nurses’ rationale for underreporting of patient and visitor perpetrated workplace violence: a systematic review. BMC Nurs. 2023;22(1):134. doi: 10.1186/s12912-023-01226-8.
- Rodgers BL, Knafl KA. Concept Development in Nursing: Foundations, Techniques, and Applications. 2nd ed. WB Saunders Company; 2000.
- Walker LO, Avant KC. Strategies for Theory Construction in Nursing. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson, Prentice Hall; 2011.
- Graneheim UH, Lindgren BM, Lundman B. Methodological challenges in qualitative content analysis: a discussion paper. Nurse Educ Today. 2017;56:29-34. doi: 10.1016/j. nedt.2017.06.002.
- Corbin J, Strauss A. Basics of Qualitative Research: Techniques and Procedures for Developing Grounded Theory. SAGE Publications; 2014.
- Holloway I, Galvin K. Qualitative Research in Nursing and Healthcare. John Wiley & Sons; 2023.
- Ilo I, Who PS. Joint Programme on Workplace Violence in the Health Sector. Workplace Violence in the Health Sector Country Case Studies Research Instruments. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2003.
- Anusiewicz CV, Shirey MR, Patrician PA. Workplace bullying and newly licensed registered nurses: an evolutionary concept analysis. Workplace Health Saf. 2019;67(5):250-61. doi: 10.1177/2165079919827046.
- Vasconcelos AF. Workplace incivility: a literature review. Int J Workplace Health Manag. 2020;13(5):513-42. doi: 10.1108/ ijwhm-11-2019-0137.
- Vagharseyyedin SA. Workplace incivility: a concept analysis. Contemp Nurse. 2015;50(1):115-25. doi: 10.1080/10376178.2015.1010262.
- Vidal-Alves MJ, Pina D, Puente-López E, Luna-Maldonado A, Luna Ruiz-Cabello A, Magalhães T, et al. Tough love lessons: lateral violence among hospital nurses. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021;18(17):9183. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18179183.
- Fallahi-Khoshknab M, Oskouie F, Najafi F, Ghazanfari N, Tamizi Z, Afshani S. Physical violence against health care workers: a nationwide study from Iran. Iran J Nurs Midwifery Res. 2016;21(3):232-8. doi: 10.4103/1735-9066.180387.
- Fallahi-Khoshknab M, Oskouie F, Najafi F, Ghazanfari N, Tamizi Z, Ahmadvand H. Psychological violence in the health care settings in Iran: a cross-sectional study. Nurs Midwifery Stud. 2015;4(1):e24320. doi: 10.17795/nmsjournal24320.
- Fallahi-Khoshknab M, Oskouie F, Ghazanfari N, Najafi F, Tamizi Z, Afshani S, et al. The frequency, contributing and preventive factors of harassment towards health professionals in Iran. Int J Community Based Nurs Midwifery. 2015;3(3):156-64.