Burnout syndrome and workplace violence among nursing staff: a cross-sectional study

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Among healthcare professionals, nursing workers are the most prone to becoming victims of workplace violence and present the highest burnout levels. OBJECTIVES: To investigate the association between burnout syndrome and workplace violence among nursing workers. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional study carried out at a teaching hospital in southern Brazil. METHODS: This study involved 242 nursing workers. We collected data over a six-month period using a sociodemographic and occupational survey, the Survey Questionnaire Workplace Violence in the Health Sector and the Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey. For occupational violence, we selected the Survey Questionnaire Workplace Violence in the Health Sector. Burnout syndrome was evaluated using the Maslach Burnout Inventory - General Survey. The data were analyzed in the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Categorical variables were described as absolute and relative frequencies and numerical variables in terms of central trend and dispersion measurements. For data analysis, we applied descriptive statistics and multiple logistic regression. RESULTS: The multiple models indicated that the workers who had experienced verbal abuse, physical violence and concern about workplace violence over the past 12 months had significantly higher chances of presenting high emotional exhaustion (P < 0.05) and depersonalization (P < 0.05) and low professional accomplishment (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Occurrence of violence significantly increased the chances of great emotional exhaustion and depersonalization and low professional achievement, within burnout syndrome. Therefore, workplace violence prevention strategies need to be put in place to provide workers with a safe workplace in which to conduct their activities.

Domestic violence and risk of internalizing and externalizing problems in adolescents living with relatives displaying substance use disorders / Violência doméstica e risco de problemas de internalização e externalização em adolescentes com familiares apresentando transtornos por uso de substâncias

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between exposure to domestic violence and increased risk of internalizing and externalizing problems and substance use among adolescents living with relatives with substance use disorder (SUD) at a low-income community of São Paulo, Brazil. METHODS: A crosssectional study was conducted with 102 adolescents aged 12-17 years (M = 14.2, SD = 1.7) who were living with relatives suffering from SUD. Outcomes were measured using the Youth Self-Report (YSR), psychosocial stress factors questionnaire, Drug Use Screening Inventory (DUSI) and Phrase Inventory of Intrafamily Child Abuse (PIICA). RESULTS: The sample presented high prevalence of emotional/behavioral problems with YSR's scores in the clinical range for Internalizing Problems (24.5%), Externalizing Problems (21.6%), and Total Problems (26.5%). The presence of mental health problems predicted substance use (PR = 2.22; 95% CI = 1.2-4.13), and substance use predicted increased risk of mental health problems. Alcohol use predicted more than double the risk of emotional/behavioral problems (PR = 2.01; 95% CI = 1.08-3.76), while illicit drug use was associated with an almost threefold increase in the prevalence of Internalizing (PR = 2.87; 95% CI = 1.19-6.89) and Externalizing Problems (PR = 3.3; 95% CI = 1.35-8.04). CONCLUSION: Adolescents of relatives with SUD are at risk of developing emotional and behavioral problems. These findings reinforce the need to develop public mental health policies, which include protective interventions to adolescents living in families affected by substance use disorders.

OBJETIVO: Investigar a associação entre exposição à violência doméstica e aumento do risco de problemas internalizantes e externalizantes e uso de substâncias entre adolescentes que vivem em famílias com transtorno por uso de substâncias (TUS) em uma comunidade de baixa renda de São Paulo, Brasil. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal com 102 adolescentes de 12 a 17 anos (M = 14,2, DP = 1,7) que vivem com familiares com TUS. Os desfechos foram avaliados por meio do Inventário de Autoavaliação para Adolescentes (YSR), questionários de fatores de estresse psicossociais, Drug Use Screening Inventory (DUSI) e Inventário de Frases de Violência Doméstica (IFVD). RESULTADOS: A amostra apresentou altas taxas de problemas emocionais/comportamentais no YSR, sendo 24,5% com escores na faixa clínica para Problemas Internalizantes, 21,6% para Problemas Externalizantes e 26,5% para Problemas Totais. A presença de problemas de saúde mental foi preditora do uso de substâncias (RP = 2,22; IC 95% = 1,2-4,13) e o uso de substâncias foi preditor do aumento da prevalência de problemas emocionais/comportamentais. O uso de álcool prediz mais do que o dobro do risco de problemas emocionais/comportamentais (RP = 2,01; IC 95% = 1,08-3,76), enquanto o uso de substâncias ilícitas esteve associado com um aumento de quase três vezes na prevalência de Problemas Internalizantes (RP = 2,87; IC 95% = 1,19-6,89) e Externalizantes (RP = 3,3; IC 95% = 1,35-8,04). CONCLUSÃO: Adolescentes que convivem diretamente com familiares com TUS estão em risco para o desenvolvimento de problemas emocionais/comportamentais. Os achados reforçam a necessidade de políticas públicas que incluam programas de proteção para adolescentes que vivem em famílias com transtornos causados pelo uso de substâncias.

Valoración emocional en personas expuestas a situaciones violentas: un análisis exploratorio / Emotional assessment in people exposed to violent situations: an exploratory analysis

Introducción: Los efectos no-patológicos en el ser humano relacionados con la naturalización de la violencia suscitan un marcado interés investigativo, particularmente en relación a los mecanismos que cumplen funciones de regulación conductual como lo son las emociones. En este sentido, el presente trabajo busca entender el alcance de la exposición a circunstancias violentas sobre la evaluación de situaciones emocionales. Método: Participaron 80 personas con edades entre los 18 y 30 años de la ciudad de Villavicencio (Colombia). La muestra se organizó en dos grupos empleando el cuestionario My ETV (My Exposure to Violence): (1) aquellos con mayor exposición a situaciones violentas y (2) aquellos con menor exposición. Posteriormente, los participantes evaluaron el nivel de emoción experimentada a través de los conjuntos de imágenes del IAPS (International Affective Picture System) validadas en población colombiana. Resultados: No se evidenciaron diferencias significativas en la valoración emocional entre ambos grupos; se observan variaciones en cuanto a género en términos de la evaluación de la valencia. Conclusiones: Es necesario aunar esfuerzos conceptuales y metodológicos a fin de comprender las variaciones en la respuesta emocional, considerando las particularidades de los contextos en los cuales esta emerge.

Introduction: Non-pathological effects on humans related to violence naturalization, bring forward a pronounced research interest related specifically to behavioral regulation mechanisms such as emotions. In this sense, the present work seeks to understand the extent of exposure to violent circumstances on the evaluation of emotional situations. Method: Eighty participants with ages between 18 and 30 years old resident in Villavicencio city (Colombia) participated. The sample was organized in two groups using My ETV (My Exposure to Violence) questionnaire: (1) those with greater exposure to violence and (2) those with less exposure. Later, participants evaluated the experienced level of emotion using the IAPS (International Affective Picture System) validated sets of images in Colombian population. Results: There are no significant differences in emotional assessment among groups. However, there are gender differences in terms of valence evaluation. Conclusions: It is necessary to join conceptual and methodological efforts to understand variations in the emotional response considering contexts peculiarities in which those responses emerge.

Assessing the Influence of Exposure to Violent Living Condition, Knowledge, and Personal Motivation on Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infection Prevention Behavior among Historically Black College Students.

Aim: This study assesses the effects of prevention education, prevention personal motivation, prevention knowledge, and past exposure to violent living conditions on human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection prevention behavioral skills among historically black college and University (HBCU) students. Study Design: Quasi-experimental One-shot Case Study Design. Place and duration of study: Fayetteville State University; November 2012 to May 2013. Methodology: Survey data of indicators of the four Information-Motivation-Behavioral skills (IMB) model’s latent constructs prevention information or knowledge, prevention motivation, and prevention behavioral skills, and past exposure to violent living conditions (PEVLC)prevention was collected from students attending an HBCU. Exploratory principal component factor analysis and Cronbach’s alpha test were performed to identify the factorial structure of the PEVLC questionnaire and reliability of the violent exposure subscales, respectively. Structural equation modeling analysis was performed to estimate the overall model fit indices and the magnitude of effects of prevention motivation, PEVLC prevention and prevention information or knowledge on the prevention behavior of the students. Results: The analysis found that personal motivation to prevent HIV infection and knowledge of HIV prevention had a positive moderate and significant effect on HIV prevention behavior. Witnessing violence with weapons prevention had a large, but insignificant effect on HIV prevention behavior. Exposure to physical violence prevention and weapon victim prevention had no effect on HIV prevention behavior. HIV prevention knowledge, witnessing violence prevention, and violence victimization prevention had no meaningful effect on prevention behavior of HBCU students. Conclusion: Collectively, these findings suggest that to be effective, the focus of HIV prevention programs in HBCUs may be on promoting personal motivation and HIV education, and identifying and treating students who have been exposed to past weapon and sexual violent living conditions for post-traumatic stress disorder.

Children's exposure to violence in Jamaica: over a decade of research and interventions / Exposición de los niños a la violencia en Jamaica: más de una década de investigaciones e intervenciones

Many children in Jamaica are exposed to violence of various forms in settings where they should be protected, namely, their homes, schools and communities. Schools in particular which were once seen as safe havens have been in the media with reports of student on student violence, student on teacher violence, teacher on student violence and community on school violence. This paper presents research findings over the last 15 years out of The University of the West Indies (UWI), Mona, Jamaica on the nature and prevalence of violence exposure, outcomes and associated risk and protective factors. It also highlights psychologically-driven interventions and policy papers addressing violence exposure coming out of the Department of Child and Adolescent Health, UWI, Mona, during the past decade.

Muchos niños en Jamaica son expuestos a la violencia de varias formas en lugares dónde se espera que tengan protección, es decir, la casa, la escuela y la comunidad. Las escuelas en particular, que una vez fueron vistas como refugios de seguridad, han sido noticia en los medios de difusión, reportando hechos violentos de unos estudiantes sobre otros, estudiantes contra maestros, maestros contra estudiantes, y la comunidad contra la escuela. Este trabajo presenta los hallazgos de la investigación realizada en los últimos 15 años por la Universidad de West Indies (UWI), Mona, Jamaica, acerca de la naturaleza y el predominio de la exposición a la violencia, resultados, así como factores de protección y riesgos asociados. También resalta las intervenciones psicológicamente impulsadas y los documentos de políticas que abordan la exposición a la violencia, provenientes del Departamento de Salud de Niño y el Adolescente, UWI, Mona, durante la última década.