NCJ Number
219768
Journal
Violence and Victims Volume: 22 Issue: 3 Dated: 2007 Pages: 367-379
Date Published
2007
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This study examined aggressive incidents from patients against certified nursing assistants (CNAs) at six geriatric care facilities.
Abstract
Results indicated that a total of 4,833 aggressive incidents occurred during the 2-week study period, with individual CNAs experiencing approximately 26 aggressive incidents from patients during that period. Approximately 95 percent of these incidents were not reported to the facility. More than twice as many physical incidents occurred than verbal incidents. The most commonly reported incidents included kicking, hitting, grabbing, pulling hair, and name calling. The most commonly reported reasons for not reporting such incidents was, “patient did not mean to do it” and “such experiences are a part of my job.” However, the findings also found that the experience of aggression from patients impacted job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and turnover intentions. Administrators are encouraged to clearly articulate the circumstances under which staff should report aggression. Participants were 76 CNAs recruited from 6 geriatric facilities who completed a series of questionnaires following their shifts on 5 different occasions. Questionnaires measured aggressive incidents from patients, reasons for reporting or not reporting the incidents, job satisfaction, organizational commitment, and turnover intentions. Additional research on the relationship between aggression from patients and job-related outcomes in geriatric settings is needed. Tables, references