Anxiety, burnout and coping styles in general hospital staff exposed to workplace aggression: a cyclical model of burnout and vulnerability to aggression

被引:108
作者
Winstanley, S
Whittington, R
机构
[1] De Montfort Univ, Fac Hlth & Community Studies, Dept Psychol & Speech & Language Therapy, Leicester LE7 9SU, Leics, England
[2] Univ Liverpool, Sch Hlth Sci, Dept Nursing, Liverpool L69 3GB, Merseyside, England
关键词
violence; aggression; healthcare staff anxiety; burnout; nurses; doctors;
D O I
10.1080/0267837021000058650
中图分类号
B849 [应用心理学];
学科分类号
040203 ;
摘要
Although an increasing problem, the aggression (physical assault, threatening behaviour and verbal aggression) directed toward general hospital staff rather than staff in psychiatric institutions has not been widely investigated. The present study first compared anxiety, coping styles and burnout according to the frequency of aggressive experiences. Second, a sub-sample was examined to determine any immediate after-effects from aggressive encounters. Healthcare staff (n=375) across professions completed the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Maslach Burnout Inventory and the Coping Responses Inventory, which were analysed according to the type and frequency of aggression experienced within the preceding year. There were no significant differences in levels of anxiety or in coping styles. However, significant differences were determined in levels of burnout. Emotional exhaustion and depersonalization were significantly higher in those staff more frequently victimized suggesting that aggressive encounters might lead to an increase in burnout. Equally, the converse night be true. Therefore, a cyclical model is put forward in which we propose that elevated levels of burnout froth all sources might increase vulnerability to victimization. Increases in emotional exhaustion lead directly to an increase in depersonalization as a coping mechanism, which subsequently manifests as a negative behavioural change toward patients, thus rendering staff more vulnerable to further aggression.
引用
收藏
页码:302 / 315
页数:14
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