Relationship Between Workplace Violence and Job Burnout Among Community Nurses in China: A Chained Mediation Modeling Analysis

Abstract

Aims: This study explores how workplace violence influences community nurses’ job burnout, specifically identifying the chain-mediating role of perceived stress and job satisfaction in this relationship. Background: Existing research highlights the negative impacts of workplace violence on nurses’ physical health, mental well-being, and job attitudes. However, community nurses remain understudied, particularly regarding the sequential mediating roles of perceived stress and job satisfaction between workplace violence and burnout. Methods: This cross-sectional study followed STROBE guidelines and recruited 814 community nurses from 75 communities in southwest China. Data were collected via Questionnaire Star using five validated instruments to assess job burnout, job satisfaction, workplace violence exposure, and perceived stress. Descriptive statistics and Pearson's correlations were analyzed using SPSS 26.0, while structural equation modeling tested the chain-mediating effects of perceived stress and job satisfaction in the workplace violence–burnout relationship among community nurses. Results: Workplace violence was positively correlated with job burnout. Perceived stress and job satisfaction partially mediated this relationship and functioned as sequential mediators in the violence-burnout pathway. Conclusion: Workplace violence exacerbates community nurses’ job burnout through a chain-mediating pathway involving elevated perceived stress and subsequent diminished job satisfaction. Implications for nursing and nursing policy: Managers should prioritize workplace violence against community nurses by enhancing violence prevention training to improve staff's risk assessment and emergency response skills. Additionally, standardized violence reporting systems, trauma assessment protocols, workplace environment improvements, and psychological support mechanisms should be established to create a comprehensive prevention-response framework.