Aims

This study aimed to investigate whether the impact of workplace violence (WPV) on nurses’ mental health varies with mental resilience and coping strategies.

Background

Workplace violence is a serious threat to nurses’ mental health, and its impact on nurses’ mental health is influenced by many factors.

Method

A cross-sectional study involving 349 participants was conducted over 12 months. The data were analyzed using SPSS 25.0 and SPSS PROCESS macro.

Results

In total, 82.52% of nurses were exposed to WPV. WPV not only affects mental health directly but also indirectly through mental resilience. Coping strategies had a moderating effect among WPV, mental resilience and mental health. When nurses coped with psychological violence with intolerance, WPV had a stronger negative effect on their mental health. When nurses coped with psychological violence with tolerance but coped with physical violence with intolerance, mental resilience had a stronger positive effect on their mental health.

Conclusions

Good mental resilience and coping with psychological violence with tolerance while coping with physical violence with intolerance can help buffer WPV and promote mental health.

Clinical relevance

Employers who have a “zero tolerance” policy regarding WPV need to re-examine how they currently operate.