Violence experienced by nurses working in acute care psychiatric wards at a Gauteng hospital

Of all hospital staff, nurses are the most exposed to violence in the workplace that can cause long-term negative effects. The purpose of this study is to increase the understanding of violence against nurses in acute care psychiatric wards in a Gauteng hospital to promote the nurses' mental health. A qualitative, explorative, descriptive and contextual research design was used by purposively sampling nurses who had experienced violence. Semi-structured individual interviews were conducted. Nurses had experienced physical, sexual and psychological violence and perceived the risk factors of violence to be mental health care user-related. They described the physical and emotional effects of the violence they experienced. Recommendations are made to prevent violence and manage incidents after their occurrence to promote nurses mental health.