Workplace Violence and Burnout Among Mental Health Workers

OBJECTIVE: The authors conducted a cross-sectional survey to investigate the association between episodes of patient aggression and burnout among mental health professionals. METHODS: Scores of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) among 183 participants who completed a questionnaire on violence exposure were used as the outcome. Demographic and work-related variables were examined as potential moderators of the association between aggression and burnout. RESULTS: Lifetime exposure to verbal or object aggression was associated with higher MBI scores. In stepwise regression, MBI score was positively associated with having experienced recent verbal aggression and with the number of symptoms experienced immediately after the worst event. MBI score was negatively associated with working in a university psychiatric inpatient unit. The association between verbal aggression and burnout was significant only among women. CONCLUSIONS: Workplace violence may have a significant negative impact on subjective well-being and patient care and may contribute to burnout among mental health professionals.