The impact of workplace violence on occupational well-being of nursing staff: the moderating role of coping styles.

BACKGROUND

Nursing staff consistently work in high-stress environments, and workplace violence has become a significant risk factor affecting their occupational well-being. However, the underlying mechanisms of this relationship remain to be fully elucidated.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted. From February to March 2025, a survey was administered to 9,466 nursing staff from over 50 hospitals in Lanzhou City using stratified convenience sampling. Spearman correlation analysis and hierarchical regression models were employed to examine the relationships among variables and to test the moderating effect of coping styles.

RESULTS

Workplace violence demonstrated a significant negative predictive relationship with occupational well-being (β = -0.238, p < 0.001). However, its zero-order correlation was relatively weak, suggesting the presence of a suppression effect. Positive coping significantly enhanced occupational well-being (β = 0.453, p < 0.001), while negative coping served as a negative predictor (β = -0.161, p < 0.001). Moderating analysis revealed that under high levels of workplace violence, the protective effect of positive coping was attenuated (β = -0.049, p < 0.001), whereas the adverse effect of negative coping was amplified (β = 0.075, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

Workplace violence impacts occupational well-being through complex mechanisms. Interventions should prioritize enhanced organizational support and coping skills training for personnel highly exposed to violence. Implementation strategies should adopt a stratified management approach based on levels of violence exposure, with emphasis on strengthening organizational support and coping capacity building in high-risk contexts.