Elsharkawy Nadia Bassuoni, Alruwaili Abeer Nuwayfi, Elsayed Ramadan Osama Mohamed, Alruwaili Majed Mowanes, Alhaiti Ali, Abdelaziz Enas Mahrous
Department of Maternity and Pediatric Health Nursing, College of Nursing, Jouf University, Sakaka, 72388, Saudi Arabia.
Department of Nursing Administration and Education, College of Nursing, Jouf University, Sakaka, 72388, Saudi Arabia.
BMC Nurs. 2025 Apr 8;24(1):395. doi: 10.1186/s12912-025-03039-3.
Workplace violence (WPV) remains a formidable concern among nurses worldwide, with up to 60% in Saudi Arabia reportedly experiencing some form of aggression. In tertiary care hospitals, robust hierarchies and cultural norms intensify underreporting, thwarting evidence-based prevention and obscuring vital data.
This qualitative study investigated the perceived barriers to WPV reporting among nurses in tertiary care settings in the Aljouf region of Saudi Arabia, specifically addressing how organizational and cultural factors converge to discourage formal incident reporting.
A qualitative descriptive design was employed, guided by Ajzen's Theory of Planned Behavior and the Social Ecological Model. Thirty-six registered nurses, purposively sampled from three tertiary hospitals, participated in six semi-structured focus groups conducted in Arabic or English, depending on participant preference. Data were thematically analyzed in NVivo, with methodological rigor ensured through triangulation and inter-coder reliability.
Three principal themes emerged: (1) Emotional and Psychological Barriers (78%), encompassing distress, anxiety, and fears of professional blame; (2) Organizational Ineffectiveness (65%), marked by convoluted reporting processes and perceived managerial indifference; and (3) Cultural and Hierarchical Influences (57%), reflecting deference to authority and normalization of violence. These themes illustrate how attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived behavioral control shaped by socio-cultural dynamics collectively contribute to persistent underreporting.
Mitigating WPV underreporting in Saudi tertiary care hospitals requires streamlined, user-friendly reporting channels, leadership accountability, and holistic psychosocial support. Implementing interprofessional education aimed at dismantling hierarchical imbalances can foster a zero-tolerance ethos toward violence. Longitudinal and comparative research should further examine evolving reporting behaviors to refine context-specific, culturally attuned strategies for addressing WPV.
Not applicable.
工作场所暴力（WPV）仍是全球护士面临的一个重大问题，据报道，沙特阿拉伯高达60%的护士曾遭受某种形式的攻击。在三级护理医院中，严格的等级制度和文化规范加剧了报告不足的情况，阻碍了基于证据的预防工作，并掩盖了重要数据。
这项定性研究调查了沙特阿拉伯阿尔朱夫地区三级护理机构中护士对报告WPV存在的认知障碍，特别探讨了组织和文化因素如何共同导致正式事件报告受到抑制。
采用定性描述性设计，以阿杰恩的计划行为理论和社会生态模型为指导。从三家三级医院中有意抽取了36名注册护士，根据参与者的偏好，以阿拉伯语或英语参与了六个半结构化焦点小组。在NVivo中对数据进行了主题分析，通过三角验证和编码员间信度确保了方法的严谨性。
出现了三个主要主题：（1）情感和心理障碍（78%），包括痛苦、焦虑以及对职业指责的恐惧；（2）组织低效（65%），其特征是报告流程复杂且管理层冷漠；（3）文化和等级制度影响（57%），反映了对权威的顺从和暴力的常态化。这些主题说明了社会文化动态所塑造的态度、主观规范和感知行为控制如何共同导致持续的报告不足。
减少沙特三级护理医院中WPV报告不足的情况需要简化、用户友好的报告渠道、领导层问责制以及全面的社会心理支持。开展旨在消除等级失衡的跨专业教育可以培养对暴力零容忍的风气。纵向和比较研究应进一步考察不断变化的报告行为，以完善针对WPV的特定情境、文化适配策略。
不适用。
