Factors affecting Israeli nurses' reports of violence perpetrated against them in the workplace: A test of the theory of planned behaviour

Factors affecting Israeli nurses' reports of violence perpetrated against them in the workplace: A test of the theory of planned behaviour Violence against nurses in the workplace is universal. Violence has negative implications for nurses, their patients and the medical facility. Nonetheless, violent incidents are only infrequently reported (20-25%). A correlational design was used to examine whether the guiding conceptual model, constructed of the variables: assailant traits, victim traits and type of violence, succeeds in predicting a nurse's decision to report violence perpetrated against them in the workplace. Data were gathered with a structured questionnaire, constructed specifically for the current research and based on the literature review and research model. The research population was sampled by convenience sampling and consisted of nurses from general hospitals in northern and central Israel of 220 nurses, of whom nearly 72% (n=158) had experienced violent incidents over the past year, mainly verbal abuse by patients' relatives. Only 26.6% (n=42) reported violent incidents in written form. Most reports were submitted to the nurse in charge of the department. Correlations were found between assailant traits (identity and mental state) and victim traits (sociodemographic characteristics and attitudes on and perceptions of reporting) and intention and actual report. Nurses' normative beliefs regarding reporting violence had the greatest effect on intention to report.