Affiliations: [a] Department of Occupational Medicine, Danish Ramazzini Centre, University Research Clinic, Regional Hospital, Herning, Denmark
| [b] Department of Psychology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark
Correspondence:
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Address for correspondence: Lars Peter Andersen, Danish Ramazzini Centre, Department of Occupational Medicine, University Research Clinic, Regional Hospital West Jutland, Gl. Landevej 61, 7400 Herning, Denmark. Tel.: +45 7843 3500; Fax: +45 7843 3518; E-mail: laande@rm.dk.
Abstract: BACKGROUND:Work-related violence and threats are frequent in human service sectors. Although previous studies have identified several psycho-social work environmental risk factors for work-related violence and threats, the research domain still remains mainly descriptive and non-theoretical in nature. OBJECTIVE:Using the Job-Demands-Control model we analysed the relationship between the psycho-social work environment and work-related threats and violence. METHOD:Using a two-wave (2011 and 2015) longitudinal study of 2678 participants, we analysed the main and interactive effects of quantitative demands and job control on exposure to work-related violence and threats. RESULTS:High work demands and low job-control were associated with elevated risk of work-related threats in 2011 and in 2015. The associations of work demands and job control and work-related violence were mixed. There were not statistically significant interaction effects between high demands and low job control on neither work-related violence nor threats. CONCLUSION:In sectors where work-related threats and violence are likely to occur, risk prevention may also require improving the work conditions for employees, more specifically by reducing work-demands and increasing job control for instance by differentiating between important and less important work demands and by implementing self-autonomous work-teams may be a way to increase job control.
Keywords: Work-related violence and threats, Job-Demands-Control model, longitudinal study
