Workplace aggression and the moderating effects of violence prevention climate

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to both examine the dimensionality of several constructs of workplace aggression, and to determine whether violence prevention climate perceptions could moderate potential negative ramifications within a well established occupational stress framework. A Qualtrics panel of 315 employees from a diverse range of occupation answered a series of online questionnaires pertaining to their occupational risk and exposure to violence and aggression, psychological well-being, and fear of future violence. Results from confirmatory factor analyses indicated a six-factor structure such that all constructs of workplace aggression were empirically distinct from one another. Moderation analyses themselves revealed unique patterns of moderations based on the various dimensions of violence prevention climate. Implications concerning both the unique factor structure and moderation results are discussed.