The Association Between Workplace Violence and Psychological Distress Among Nurses Working in Psychiatric Hospitals in Jordan

PURPOSE: To assess the prevalence of workplace violence (WPV) and investigate factors that contribute to psychological distress among psychiatric nurses in Jordan. METHOD: In this cross-sectional, correlational study, a convenience sampling technique was used to recruit 190 psychiatric nurses. RESULTS: Mean scores for WPV and psychological distress were 13.22 (SD = 2.51) and 56.11 (SD = 23.29), respectively. All psychiatric nurses reported incidences of verbal aggression from patients and their families, and a significant majority (92.6%) admitted to experiencing physical violence in the past year. For every unit increase in WPV scores, there was an average increase of 0.631 points in psychological distress (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Findings suggest that psychiatric nurses working in psychiatric hospitals experience a high level of WPV, resulting in moderate psychological distress. It is suggested to enhance nurses' knowledge regarding the risk factors of WPV to decrease the occurrence of this phenomenon. Furthermore, implementing educational initiatives designed to support psychiatric nurses in alleviating psychological distress resulting from WPV would yield positive outcomes. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, xx(xx), xx-xx.]