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Health and Quality of Life Outcomes
Published in: Health and Quality of Life Outcomes 1/2019

Open Access 01-12-2019 | Burnout Syndrome | Research

The impact of workplace violence on job satisfaction, job burnout, and turnover intention: the mediating role of social support

Authors: Xiaojian Duan, Xin Ni, Lei Shi, Leijing Zhang, Yuan Ye, Huitong Mu, Zhe Li, Xin Liu, Lihua Fan, Yongchen Wang

Published in: Health and Quality of Life Outcomes | Issue 1/2019

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Abstract

Background

Workplace violence (WPV) is a global public health problem and has caused a serious threat to the physical and mental health of healthcare workers. Moreover, WPV also has an adverse effect on the workplace behavior of healthcare workers. This study has three purposes: (1) to identify the prevalence of workplace violence against physicians; (2) to examine the association between exposure to WPV, job satisfaction, job burnout and turnover intention of Chinese physicians and (3) to verify the mediating role of social support.

Methods

A cross-sectional study adopted a purposive sampling method to collect data from March 2017 through May 2017. A total of nine tertiary hospitals in four provinces, which provide healthcare from specialists in a large hospital after referral from primary and secondary care, were selected as research sites based on their geographical locations in the eastern, central and western regions of China. Descriptive analyses, a univariate analysis, a Pearson correlation, and a mediation regression analysis were used to estimate the prevalence of WPV and impact of WPV on job satisfaction, job burnout, and turnover intention.

Results

WPV was positively correlated with turnover intention (r = 0.238, P < 0.01) and job burnout (r = 0.150, P < 0.01), and was negatively associated with job satisfaction (r = − 0.228, P < 0.01) and social support (r = − 0.077, P < 0.01). Social support was a partial mediator between WPV and job satisfaction, as well as burnout and turnover intention.

Conclusions

The results show a high prevalence of workplace violence in Chinese tertiary hospitals, which should not be ignored. The effects of social support on workplace behaviors suggest that it has practical implications for interventions to promote the stability of physicians’ teams.

Trial registration

(Project Identification Code: HMUIRB2014005), Registered March 1, 2014.
Appendix
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Metadata
Title
The impact of workplace violence on job satisfaction, job burnout, and turnover intention: the mediating role of social support
Authors
Xiaojian Duan
Xin Ni
Lei Shi
Leijing Zhang
Yuan Ye
Huitong Mu
Zhe Li
Xin Liu
Lihua Fan
Yongchen Wang
Publication date
01-12-2019
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
Health and Quality of Life Outcomes / Issue 1/2019
Electronic ISSN: 1477-7525
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12955-019-1164-3

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