ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Public Health

Sec. Occupational Health and Safety

Volume 13 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2025.1607011

This article is part of the Research TopicWorld Mental Health Day: Mental Health in the WorkplaceView all 25 articles

VIOLENCE AND HARASSMENT AGAINST HEALTHCARE WORKERS (HCWs): A PSYCHOLOGICAL-CLINICAL PERSPECTIVE ON A SURVEY IN A POLICLINIC-HOSPITAL

Provisionally accepted
Ermanno VitaleErmanno Vitale1*Francesca VellaFrancesca Vella2Serena MateraSerena Matera2Silvia MazzeoSilvia Mazzeo2Chiara FarrautoChiara Farrauto3Veronica FilettiVeronica Filetti2Venerando RapisardaVenerando Rapisarda2*Giorgia FarruggioGiorgia Farruggio3Noemi Maria VitaleNoemi Maria Vitale3Eleonora UccelliEleonora Uccelli3Abdulnaser FakhrouAbdulnaser Fakhrou4Lucia RapisardaLucia Rapisarda5Giorgio BertolazziGiorgio Bertolazzi1Davide MateraDavide Matera6PASQUALE CAPONNETTOPASQUALE CAPONNETTO3
  • 1Department of Medicine and Surgery, Kore University of Enna, Enna, Italy
  • 2Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, Sicily, Italy
  • 3Section of Psychology, Department of Education Sciences, University of Catania, Catania, Sicily, Italy
  • 4Department of Psychological Sciences, College of Education, Qatar University, Doha, Qatar
  • 5Spinal Unit AOE "Cannizzaro", Catania, Italy, Catania, Italy
  • 6Mediterranean Institute of Oncology (IOM), Viagrande, Italy

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Objective: The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and psychological impact of workplace violence (WPV) among healthcare workers (HCWs) in a large university hospital in Southern Italy, and to identify occupational and demographic risk factors. Methods: A cross-sectional observational study was conducted from January to December 2023. A total of 997 HCWs voluntarily completed a validated, anonymous questionnaire based on the "Workplace Violence in the Health Sector" (WVHS) tool. The instrument assessed exposure to different types of WPV (physical, verbal, bullying, sexual and racial harassment) and its emotional and occupational consequences. Statistical analyses included descriptive statistics, linear regression and ANOVA (p<0.05).Results: 27% of HCWs reported experiencing at least one form of WPV in the past 12 months. Verbal violence was the most common (85%), followed by bullying (26%). Nurses, resident doctors, younger workers, and those working night shifts were more frequently affected. Victims showed higher use of psychotropic drugs and psychotherapy (p<0.001).WPV is highly prevalent and underreported in healthcare settings, with significant mental health repercussions. The findings highlight the need for preventive strategies, institutional support, and the key role of occupational physicians in early identification and intervention.

Keywords: Workplace Violence, Healthcare workers, Occupational Health, Mental Health, Post-traumatic stress

Received: 06 Apr 2025; Accepted: 19 Jun 2025.

Copyright: © 2025 Vitale, Vella, Matera, Mazzeo, Farrauto, Filetti, Rapisarda, Farruggio, Vitale, Uccelli, Fakhrou, Rapisarda, Bertolazzi, Matera and CAPONNETTO. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

* Correspondence:
Ermanno Vitale, Department of Medicine and Surgery, Kore University of Enna, Enna, Italy
Venerando Rapisarda, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Catania, Catania, 95131, Sicily, Italy

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

Supplementary Material