Abstract:
Background: Harassment is a problem in the modern workplace. Nurses experience harassment at higher rates than average. Nurses are exposed to multiple types of harassment in the workplace. One type of harassment, known as generalized workplace harassment (GWH), which involves 5 dimensions not based on legally protected characteristics: verbal, physical and disrespectful aggression, isolation/exclusion, and threats/bribes, is associated with negative health effects. However, there is limited research on GWH and physical health effects on nurses, especially in non-western nations. In the Philippines, there are more nurses and midwives than any other health profession, and they are a potentially vulnerable population. This research aims to examine associations between GWH and measures of physical health on nurses in the Philippines. Methods: Data were collected from a cross-sectional sample of nurses (N=567) attending voluntary continuing education courses in the Philippines through a self-administered survey. Results: GWH was found to be associated with studied physical health outcomes- self-rated health and number of days physical health was not good in the last 30 days. All models were found to be significant except for one, which included self-rated health as the outcome and adjusting for all control variables. Conclusions: GWH and physical health are associated. Nurses in the Philippines experience GWH, and more research is needed to understand the full extent of the problem. URI http://hdl.handle.net/1773/40102