TITLE:
Violence at work and its relationship with burnout, depression and anxiety in healthcare professionals of the emergency services
AUTHORS:
Gloria M. Roldán, Isabel C. Salazar, Laura Garrido, Juan M. Ramos
KEYWORDS:
Workplace Violence; Aggression; Burnout; Depression; Anxiety; Health Professionals; Emergency Services
JOURNAL NAME:
Health,
Vol.5 No.2,
February
28,
2013
ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to examine the possible
relationship between physical and psychological aggression suffered in the
workplace and professional burnout, depression and anxiety suffered by healthcare
professionals of the emergency services. Methods: 315 physicians, nurses,
orderlies and ambulance drivers of Critical Care and Emergency Devices (CCED)
in the Andalusian Public Health System, in the province of Granada (Spain)
participated. They were interviewed about the exposure to violence at work and
answered a battery of questions that measured burnout, depression and anxiety.
Results: Physical aggression was significantly related to emotional
exhaustion, personal accomplishment at work, depression and anxiety. Psychological
aggression was associated with personal accomplishment. Logistic regression
showed that the CCED professionals who have suffered physical aggression were
4.2 and 2.6 times more likely to have suffered anxiety and reduced personal
accomplishment, respectively, than those who did not suffer physical aggression.
On the other hand, feelings of anxiety and reduced personal accomplishment
increase the professionals’ risk (3.4 and 2.1 times more likely, respectively)
of suffering from physical aggression. Conclusion: The results suggest that exposure to violence is related to the other psychological problems tested:
emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment (two components of
burnout), depression and anxiety. In addition, physical violence is a risk
factor for anxiety and diminished personal accomplishment of the CCED
professionals.