Workplace violence experienced by emergency department workers and its association with stress and depression assessment

Kim, Joong Hyun; Choi, Han Sung; Jung, Hyun Joo; Lim, Seong Gwan; Lee, Chang Min

J Korean Soc Emerg Med > Volume 30(3); 2019 > Article

Original Article

Journal of The Korean Society of Emergency Medicine 2019;30(3): 257-264.

응급실 종사자의 폭력 경험 유무에 따른 스트레스와 우울 수준의 차이

김중현¹

, 최한성¹

, 정현주¹, 임성관², 이창민³

¹경희대학교병원 응급의학과
²동수원병원 응급의학과
³강동경희대학교병원 응급의학과

Workplace violence experienced by emergency department workers and its association with stress and depression assessment

Joong Hyun Kim¹

, Han Sung Choi¹

, Hyun Joo Jung¹, Seong Gwan Lim², Chang Min Lee³

¹Department of Emergency Medicine, Kyung Hee University Hospital, Seoul, Korea
²Department of Emergency Medicine, Dongsuwon General Hospital, Suwon, Korea
³Department of Emergency Medicine, Kyung Hee University Hospital at Gangdong, Seoul, Korea

Correspondence

Han Sung Choi ,Tel: 02-958-8274, Fax: 02-958-9689, Email: hsg3748@hanmail.net,

Received: October 16, 2018; Revised: October 24, 2018 Accepted: October 29, 2018. Published online: June 30, 2019.

ABSTRACT

Objective:
This study examined the incidence of workplace violence (WPV) in an emergency department (ED), and its influence on ED workers’ mental health.
Method:
A cross-sectional, anonymous survey was conducted on ED workers employed in a local emergency medical center during August 2018. The survey respondents’ data on the demographic characteristics, WPV episode, Koreantranslated Brief Encounter Psychosocial Instrument (BEPSI-K), stress questionnaire for Korean National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES), and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) were obtained. The results of the stress (BEPSI-K, KNHANES) and depression (PHQ-9) score were compared with the WPV experience of ED workers.
Results:
A total of 104 of 120 ED workers (86.7%) were exposed to WPV. ED workers that experienced physical violence within the past year had higher KNHANES, BEPSI-K, and PHQ-9 than the workers, who did not experience such violence (P≤0.001). In addition, this survey demonstrated that a physical violence episode within the past year was associated with above moderate depression (P≤0.001; odds ratio, 19.597).
Conclusion:
Recent physical violence can cause psychiatric disorders in ED workers, such as depression or stress disorder. Therefore, policies are needed to prevent WPV in ED and support ED workers who have experienced WPV.

Key words: Workplace violence; Emergency department; Stress; Depression