{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,7]],"date-time":"2026-09-07T06:08:09Z","timestamp":1788761289665,"version":"build-2803163510"},"reference-count":45,"publisher":"Frontiers Media SA","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,7]],"date-time":"2026-09-07T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1788739200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":["frontiersin.org"],"crossmark-restriction":true},"short-container-title":["Front. Public Health"],"abstract":"<jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Workplace violence against hospital personnel is a significant occupational and public health concern that can compromise care quality and staff wellbeing. This study aimed to estimate its prevalence, describe its forms and outcomes, and identify associated factors, legal actions, and psychological outcomes.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Methods<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>A cross-sectional study was conducted over 4 months (August\u2013November 2024) in the Hedi Chaker University Hospital and Habib Bourguiba University Hospital in Sfax. A representative sample of hospital personnel completed an anonymous self-administered questionnaire.<\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Results<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>\n                      A total of 406 hospital personnel were included. The sex ratio (M\/F) was 0.24, and the median age was 36\u202fyears (IQR: 30\u201345). The prevalence of verbal, physical, and sexual violence was 63.1% (\n                      <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f256), 17% (\n                      <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f69), and 2% (\n                      <jats:italic>n<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f8), respectively. Legal action was taken by 24 participants (9.6%). Multivariate analysis revealed that verbal violence was independently associated with overcrowded workplace (AOR\u202f=\u202f0.12;\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f0.002) and poor medical services and a lack of hospital supplies (AOR\u202f=\u202f7.3;\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f0.007), while physical violence was associated with patient death (AOR\u202f=\u202f2.6;\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f0.003) and age \u226540\u202fyears (AOR\u202f=\u202f1.7;\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f=\u202f0.042). Taking legal action was more frequent after physical violence (COR\u202f=\u202f8.08;\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      &amp;lt;\u202f0.001) and among personnel working in intensive care units (COR\u202f=\u202f14;\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      =\u202f0.02), and less frequent among physicians (COR\u202f=\u202f0.2;\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      =\u202f0.042). Physical violence was significantly associated with insecurity, hypervigilance, mental health consultation for anxiety, depressive, and post-traumatic stress-related symptoms, social impairment, and sleep disorders (all\n                      <jats:italic>p<\/jats:italic>\n                      \u202f&amp;lt;\u202f0.05).\n                    <\/jats:p>\n                  <\/jats:sec>\n                  <jats:sec>\n                    <jats:title>Conclusion<\/jats:title>\n                    <jats:p>Workplace violence in Sfax university hospitals was frequent and strongly associated with psychological outcomes, highlighting the need to strengthen prevention strategies, improve communication and training, and ensure adequate psychological support for hospital personnel.<\/jats:p>\n                  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Tunisia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mouna","family":"Baklouti","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Preventive and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine of Sfax","place":["Sfax, Tunisia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Emna","family":"Mziou","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Preventive and Community Medicine, Hedi Chaker University Hospital","place":["Sfax, Tunisia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maissa","family":"Ben Jmeaa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Preventive and Community Medicine, Hedi Chaker University Hospital","place":["Sfax, Tunisia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Maroua","family":"Chaaben","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Preventive and Community Medicine, Hedi Chaker University Hospital","place":["Sfax, Tunisia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Imen","family":"Sboui","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Preventive and Community Medicine, Hedi Chaker University Hospital","place":["Sfax, Tunisia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Raouf","family":"Karray","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Preventive and Community Medicine, Hedi Chaker University Hospital","place":["Sfax, Tunisia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jihen","family":"Jdidi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Preventive and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine of Sfax","place":["Sfax, Tunisia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Sourour","family":"Yaich","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Preventive and Community Medicine, Hedi Chaker University Hospital","place":["Sfax, Tunisia"]}],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"1965","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,7]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref1","volume-title":"Des Milieux de Travail S\u00fbrs et Sains Exempts de Violence et de Harc\u00e8lement","year":""},{"key":"ref2","volume-title":"Violence and Harassment","year":""},{"key":"ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"7","DOI":"10.3912\/OJIN.Vol9No03Man06","article-title":"Workplace violence in health care: recognized but not regulated","volume":"9","author":"McPhaul","year":"2004","journal-title":"Online J Issues Nurs"},{"key":"ref4","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","first-page":"263","DOI":"10.2147\/PRBM.S114870","article-title":"Workplace violence in different settings and among various health professionals in an Italian general hospital: a cross-sectional study","volume":"9","author":"Ferri","year":"2016","journal-title":"Psychol Res Behav 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