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8292672 Association between moral harassment and violence at work and common mental disorders among healthcare workers in Bahia, Brazil

oemed · 2025-10-06 · canonical JSON source

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Objective To analyze the association between exposure to moral harassment and violence at work and Common Mental Disorders (CMT) in healthcare workers in Brazil.Material and Methods Cross-sectional study with 1,005 public healthcare workers, active in primary and secondary care in three municipalities of Bahia, located in northeastern Brazil, in 2021. The SRQ-20 was used for CMT assessment, and a specific self-reported questionnaire on direct victimization was used for the analysis of violence at work in the last 12 months. Exposure to moral harassment was assessed by the self-labelled method with specific validated questions. A structured questionnaire and validated instruments were used to assess sociodemographic, behavioral, and psychosocial factors. Odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals were estimated using multiple Logistic Regression.Results The overall prevalence of CMT among the workers was 40.3%. Regarding moral harassment, 8.4% reported being victims, and 11.4% experienced violence. Exposure to moral harassment and workplace violence was associated with 2.5 (OR = 2.47; 95% CI 1.56 - 3.91) and 2.9 (OR = 2.92; 95% CI 1.95 - 4.37) times higher odds of CMT, respectively, compared to those not exposed. After adjustments for confounding factors, those who experienced moral harassment and violence still showed 1.6 (OR = 1.59; 95% CI 0.95 – 2.67) and 2.1 (OR = 2.09; 95% CI 1.32 – 3.31) times higher odds of having CMT compared to those not exposed, respectively.Conclusion The findings indicate a high prevalence of CMT and show that both moral harassment and violence at work are independent health risks. Interventions in organizational/structural processes in healthcare work, aiming to reduce harassment and violence, are viable strategies to mitigate the burden of diseases related to CMT. This approach requires policies and strategies for decent conditions and stable employment relationships.