engleski

Practical clinical training in health care institutions can expose nursing students to violence: a cross-sectional study from Croatia

Introduction: Nursing staff can be exposed to violence from patients, their families or carers, but also from their co-workers. Such violence can have substantial negative ramifications on psychophysiological and socio-emotional balance, behaviour change, but also on the organization itself. The aim of this study was to determine how exposed are nursing students to violence during their obligatory practical clinical training in health care institutions. Methods: This cross- sectional study was based on survey research yielding quantitative data, and employed a random sampling technique to end up with 105 nursing students as a study sample. A questionnaire that was used was developed based on the relevant literature for the purposes of this study, and the research was conducted during June and July 2019. Survey respondents participated in the study anonymously and voluntary. Statistical analysis was done with the use of chi square test and Spearman’s rank correlation test, and statistical significance was set at p<0.05 (using a two-tailed distribution). Results: The most common form of violence experienced by the majority of respondents (77%) was verbal violence, while sexual violence was experienced by 23% of study subjects – the latter mostly consisting of inappropriate comments regarding students’ personal appearance. The majority of respondents in our study did not report violence to their supervisors or authorities. No statistically significant differences in the perception of violence were found between male and female respondents (p>0.05), as well as between different age groups (p>0.05). Discussion: Victims of violence are often unaware of exposure to different patterns of violent behaviour due to a notable lack of education, which also hinders appropriate responses. Nonetheless, the exposure to violent behaviour can increase the burden of stress, which in turn undermines working morale, teamwork and mutual trust. Therefore, prevention and education both play a pivotal role in preventing possible violent behaviour.

violence ; mobbing ; nursing staff ; nursing profession ; workplace

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