Association between community-based and workplace violence and the sleep quality of health professionals: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Community-based and workplace violence against health professionals has caused feelings of vulnerability, emotional exhaustion, and psychological changes, reflecting on sleep quality disorders. Thus, we aimed to analyze the association between community and workplace violence and the sleep quality of health professionals working in primary health care. The study was conducted with 286 health professionals who worked in PHC in one of the largest cities in Brazil. The primary outcome was sleep quality as assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index. Most of the participants (69.2%/p=0.074) were classified as “bad sleepers”, and nurses (73.3%/ p=0.049) showed the worst sleep quality. Additionally, most professionals suffered some type of violence at work (p<0.001), which impaired professional activities (p=0.010), forcing them to change their behavior (p<0.001) and consider changing the workplace location (p=0.051). The results showed that professionals have been experiencing moments of fear, anxiety, and stress associated with workplace and community violence. This highlights the need for public policies geared to occupational health.