Occupational violence toward mental health professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic: an international study
IntroductionAccording to pre-COVID-19 pandemic studies, occupational violence (OV) toward mental healthcare professionals (MHCPs) is a common phenomenon with important consequences for their own mental health. This study sought to assess the prevalence of different types and sources of OV toward MHC...
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Frontiers Media S.A.
2025-01-01
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| Series: | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
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| Online Access: | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1527182/full |
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| author | Rebeca Robles Cary S. Kogan María Elena Medina-Mora María Elena Medina-Mora José Ángel García-Pacheco Tahilia J. Rebello Brigitte Khoury Maya Kulygina Geoffrey M. Reed |
| author_facet | Rebeca Robles Cary S. Kogan María Elena Medina-Mora María Elena Medina-Mora José Ángel García-Pacheco Tahilia J. Rebello Brigitte Khoury Maya Kulygina Geoffrey M. Reed |
| author_sort | Rebeca Robles |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | IntroductionAccording to pre-COVID-19 pandemic studies, occupational violence (OV) toward mental healthcare professionals (MHCPs) is a common phenomenon with important consequences for their own mental health. This study sought to assess the prevalence of different types and sources of OV toward MHCPs during the COVID-19 pandemic, analyze the risk for OV conferred by relevant factors, and compare the emotional distress reported by MHCPs with and without OV.MethodsThe study is an international cross-sectional Internet-based study completed by 3,325 MHCPs having provided direct clinical services during the COVID-19 pandemic.Results13.11% experienced OV. The most frequent type/source of OV was psychological violence inside the workplace (59.6% of those who reported OV). Risk factors for any type/source of OV being younger, working in emergency services, treating COVID-19 patients, and living in a lower to upper middle-income country. Emotional distress was higher in those who had experienced OV. Risk factors for emotional distress among those reporting OV included being younger and having experienced physical violence outside the workplace.DiscussionApproximately one in ten MHCP experienced OV during the COVID-19 pandemic. This figure is consistent with the range of OV against MHCPs reported prior to the pandemic and indicates that efforts are needed to prevent and manage OV and its negative emotional consequences among MHCP, particularly in aforementioned high-risk groups during health emergencies, and addressing both proximal and distal environmental factors related to OV toward MHCPs. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b9fedb82878d421481781b9b508e3e88 |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1664-0640 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-01-01 |
| publisher | Frontiers Media S.A. |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Frontiers in Psychiatry |
| spelling | doaj-art-b9fedb82878d421481781b9b508e3e882025-01-20T07:19:46ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Psychiatry1664-06402025-01-011510.3389/fpsyt.2024.15271821527182Occupational violence toward mental health professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic: an international studyRebeca Robles0Cary S. Kogan1María Elena Medina-Mora2María Elena Medina-Mora3José Ángel García-Pacheco4Tahilia J. Rebello5Brigitte Khoury6Maya Kulygina7Geoffrey M. Reed8Center for Global Mental Health Research, Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz National Institute of Psychiatry/UNAM, Mexico City, MexicoSchool of Psychology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, CanadaCenter for Global Mental Health Research, Ramón de la Fuente Muñiz National Institute of Psychiatry/UNAM, Mexico City, MexicoFaculty of Psychology, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico City, MexicoDepartamento de Administración Pública, Centro de Investigación y Docencia Económica, Mexico City, MexicoDepartment of Psychiatry, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, United StatesDepartment of Psychiatry, American University of Beirut Medical Center, Beirut, LebanonTraining and Research Centre, Mental-health Clinic No.1 named after N.A. Alekseev, Moscow, RussiaDepartment of Psychiatry, Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons, New York, NY, United StatesIntroductionAccording to pre-COVID-19 pandemic studies, occupational violence (OV) toward mental healthcare professionals (MHCPs) is a common phenomenon with important consequences for their own mental health. This study sought to assess the prevalence of different types and sources of OV toward MHCPs during the COVID-19 pandemic, analyze the risk for OV conferred by relevant factors, and compare the emotional distress reported by MHCPs with and without OV.MethodsThe study is an international cross-sectional Internet-based study completed by 3,325 MHCPs having provided direct clinical services during the COVID-19 pandemic.Results13.11% experienced OV. The most frequent type/source of OV was psychological violence inside the workplace (59.6% of those who reported OV). Risk factors for any type/source of OV being younger, working in emergency services, treating COVID-19 patients, and living in a lower to upper middle-income country. Emotional distress was higher in those who had experienced OV. Risk factors for emotional distress among those reporting OV included being younger and having experienced physical violence outside the workplace.DiscussionApproximately one in ten MHCP experienced OV during the COVID-19 pandemic. This figure is consistent with the range of OV against MHCPs reported prior to the pandemic and indicates that efforts are needed to prevent and manage OV and its negative emotional consequences among MHCP, particularly in aforementioned high-risk groups during health emergencies, and addressing both proximal and distal environmental factors related to OV toward MHCPs.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1527182/fulloccupational violencedistressmental health professionalsrisk factorsCOVID-19 |
| spellingShingle | Rebeca Robles Cary S. Kogan María Elena Medina-Mora María Elena Medina-Mora José Ángel García-Pacheco Tahilia J. Rebello Brigitte Khoury Maya Kulygina Geoffrey M. Reed Occupational violence toward mental health professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic: an international study Frontiers in Psychiatry occupational violence distress mental health professionals risk factors COVID-19 |
| title | Occupational violence toward mental health professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic: an international study |
| title_full | Occupational violence toward mental health professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic: an international study |
| title_fullStr | Occupational violence toward mental health professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic: an international study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Occupational violence toward mental health professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic: an international study |
| title_short | Occupational violence toward mental health professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic: an international study |
| title_sort | occupational violence toward mental health professionals during the covid 19 pandemic an international study |
| topic | occupational violence distress mental health professionals risk factors COVID-19 |
| url | https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1527182/full |
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