Associations of Workplace Aggression With Work-Related Well-Being Among Nurses in the Philippines

Objectives. We examined whether workplace aggression was associated with self-rated health and work-related injury and illness among nurses in the Philippines. Methods. Our data came from a cross-sectional survey of nurses (n=687) in the Philippines. We assessed the associations of self-reported physical assault and verbal abuse with self-rated health, work-related injury and illness, and missed workdays with Poisson regression. Control variables included demographic and work characteristics (e.g., hours worked, work setting, shift). Results. Verbal abuse was associated with poor general health (prevalence ratio [PR]=1.94; 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.09, 3.45). Both physical assault and verbal abuse were associated with work-related injury (PR=1.48; 95% CI=1.00, 2.20; PR=1.72; 95% CI=1.34, 2.23, respectively) and work-related illness (PR=1.46; 95% CI=0.99, 2.15; PR=1.68; 95% CI=1.32, 2.14, respectively) after demographic and work characteristics were accounted for in the model. In addition, physical assault was associated with missed workdays (PR=1.56; 95% CI=1.02, 2.33). Conclusions. Workplace aggression was associated with increased risks of poor general health and adverse work-related health outcomes among nurses in the Philippines. (Am J Public Health. 2011;101:861-867. doi:10.2105/AJPH.2009.188144)