The Components of Workplace Violence against Nurses from the Perspective of Women Working in a Hospital in Tehran: A Qualitative Study
Abstract Background: Based on the World Health Organization (WHO), workplace violence can affect events where employees are abused, threatened or attacked in their workplace, and it also has some consequences such as safety, welfare, and health. Like other types of violence, workplace violence and aggression is an increasing phenomenon. Moreover, workplace violence not only disrupts interpersonal and organizational relationships, but it also impairs people's self-esteem and affects their physical and mental health and well-being. Thus, the present study aimed to explain the components of workplace violence against nurses from the perspective of women working in a hospital in Tehran, which was conducted through the qualitative method and content analysis.Methods: Purposive sampling included 21 female nurses who were working in different wards of the hospital. Also, female nurses were selected with maximum diversity in terms of age, work experience, and the wards they were working in. The semi-structured interview was the main method of data collection in this study. The interview transcriptions were extracted and then divided into meaningful units. For strengthening and confirming the results and accuracy of the research, the author used the data credibility, acceptability, validity, accuracy, believability, verifiability, reliability, and transferability.Results: During the data analysis process, the first 15 classes with the same characteristics were put together and then divided into 6 classes. Afterward, based on the common features at a more abstract level, they were converted into 2 themes. Based on the findings, violence against women in the workplace occurs at two levels, namely interpersonal violence and organizational coercion.Conclusions: Therefore, it is necessary for managers to commit to lay the groundwork for reducing violence in the hospital, to lower the level of violence in workplaces, as well as barriers to report these cases especially in hospitals, and managers and officials’ awareness on violence in these workplaces must effort to prevent and reduce it.