The effects of witnessing violence.

Mental health nurses in the UK are 10 times more likely to be assaulted than general nurses, but evidence on the effects of staff witnessing violence is lacking. After researching the effects on ten mental health nurses who had witnessed an episode of physical violence in the previous 6 months, David Jeffrey and Pauline Fuller reported their research findings in Mental Health Practice. The authors found that participants grappled with fear, guilt and anger, leaving them to seek resolution on five themes relating to personal and professional guilt.