The effects of occupational violence on the well-being and resilience of nurses

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: This article reports findings from a 2016 survey exploring the working life of nurses/midwives in Queensland, Australia. Responses related to occupational violence (OV) are reported. BACKGROUND: OV is linked to high rates of burnout. It is imperative to continue efforts to understand how to avoid burnout and build nurse/midwives' resilience. METHODS: A total of 2397 nurse/midwives working in Queensland responded to the survey and were asked to answer 8 questions related to OV. RESULTS: In the last 3 months, 53% of nurses/midwives had experienced OV. Those respondents had significantly higher rates of burnout and lower resilience and rated the practice environment lower than their counterparts who had not experienced violence. CONCLUSIONS: The experience of OV significantly impacts nurse resilience and levels of burnout. To retain nurses, attention must be given to reduce OV and support nurses who have experienced it