Verbal violence in the professional life of nurses

Introduction: Verbal violence is a common social phenomenon that is also observed in nursing science workplaces. Aim: This research project was aimed at investigating the phenomenon of verbal violence in the professional life of nursing staff. Material and Method: The sample (N=168) consisted of nurses working in clinics, care units, health centers in both the public and private sectors. The data collection was done using the Greek version of Verbal Abuse Scale questionnaire (VAS-GR). Results: The survey revealed that at a rate of 97.6%, nursing staff of all ages has been victim of verbal violence. 28% of the sample thinks the insane jesting appears fairly often, while 29% says that intense criticism and accusations of accusations and accusations often appear as forms of verbal violence. The relationship with the abuser seems to vary with the immediate superior having accumulated the highest percentage of 21.4%.Regarding the frequency of the phenomenon, much of the sample (26.8%) replied that the frequency rate reaches up to more than once a year. 52% considers the episode of verbal violence from fairly to very stressful, while the vast majority of the sample indicates enough or too much anger. More than 50% of the respondents consider an acceptable approach to addressing possible victimization, focusing as the main long-term consequence of non-satisfaction. Young age groups have found controversial occupations to deal with stress, while women tend to blame themselves more than men. Finally, it should be noted that the sample reliability test was very high (Cronbach's alpha index = 0.957), indicating that the results of the survey can be generalized. Conclusions: The nurse in his working environment is often confronted with episodes of verbal violence, mainly affecting his mental health and hence his sustainability in the workplace. The urgency of identifying the factors involved in creating the phenomenon of violent verbal behavior in the workplace of the nurses and in its effective treatment is therefore urgently needed.

Keywords: Verbal violence, working environment, nurse.