Workplace violence inflicted by patients or their family members/visitors and its relationship with suicidal ideation among undergraduate medical students during clinical training in China

Abstract

Background

Workplace violence in healthcare settings is a significant public concern that profoundly impacts healthcare workers. However, there is a dearth of knowledge regarding the prevalence of workplace violence and its correlation with suicidal ideation among undergraduate medical students in China during their clinical training. The objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of workplace violence inflicted by patients or their family members/visitors and to assess its association with suicidal ideation among undergraduate medical students.

Method

The snowballing sampling technique was used to recruit Chinese medical students. A question designed by the research team was used to ask medical students about their encounters with workplace violence. Students’ basic demographic information and mental distresses (learning burnout, depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, alcohol abuse/dependence, excessive daytime sleepiness and history of mental disorders) were also assessed. As appropriate, the data were analysed using descriptive statistics, chi-square tests, independent-sample t-tests and multiple logistic regression.

Results

Out of the 1402 undergraduate medical students who participated, 493 (35.2%) reported having experienced workplace violence inflicted by patients or their family members/visitors, of which 394 (28.1%) were verbal abuse, 14 (1.0%) were physical aggression, and 85 (6.1%) were suffered from both verbal abuse and physical aggression. Furthermore, students exposed to workplace violence were more likely to report suicidal ideation and had a higher prevalence of learning burnout, depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, alcohol abuse/dependence and excessive daytime sleepiness. Depression symptoms, history of mental disorders, learning burnout and having a partner were significantly associated with suicidal ideation in this population.

Conclusion

The prevalence of workplace violence inflicted by patients or their family members/visitors was high among undergraduate medical students in China. This may be associated with their mental distress and suicidal ideation. Consequently, it is crucial to strengthen workplace safety measures and promptly implement interventions to mitigate the potentially serious consequences.

KEY MESSAGES

• Workplace violence was common among Chinese undergraduate medical students during clinical training and may be associated with suicidal ideation, learning burnout, depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, alcohol abuse/dependence and excessive daytime sleepiness.

• Depression symptoms, history of mental disorders, learning burnout and having a partner were significantly associated with suicidal ideation among undergraduate medical students exposed to workplace violence.

Keywords:

• Workplace violence
• medical students
• medical education
• suicidal ideation
• burnout
• anxiety
• depression
• mental health

Acknowledgements

We give our greatest gratitude to all the participants and volunteers who made contributions to the online survey.

Author contributions

QXW and TQL contributed to all aspects of the study. XW, QXW, PP and WFZY contributed to the drafting of the manuscript. QXW, TQL, YYT, YHL and JST participated in the conception and design of the study. All authors contributed to survey development and data acquisition. XW, PP, QXW, YHL, QJW and YZH contributed to data analyses and result interpretation. All authors critically revised the manuscript and agreed to be responsible for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Ethical approval

The study was approved by the ethics committee of the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are available on request from the corresponding author. The data are not publicly available due to privacy or ethical restrictions.

Additional information

Funding

This study was supported by the Provincial Natural Science Foundation of Hunan [Grant No. 2020JJ4795] to TQL and the Scientific Research Launch Project for new employees of the Second Xiangya Hospital of Central South University to QXW.