Understanding how young workers recover from workplace aggression and violence

Abstract

Three studies were conducted to examine how young workers experienced and dealt with workplace aggression and violence. The first study consisted of 190 young adults employed in a movie theatre who completed a brief survey. Consistent with previous research, participants reported higher levels of aggression in comparison to violence, and victims of aggression reported significant levels of strain. Interestingly, participants reported higher levels of aggression between co-workers which has not been found in past research. Study 2 had 41 young victims of workplace aggression and violence complete 107 critical incidents to examine severity levels of workplace aggression and violence and also asked participants to identify what they did to help them recover from their experiences. Violence was reported as being more severe than aggression. The only technique that was reported in helping young adults recover from workplace aggression was that “nothing helped” and “acceptance” for victims of workplace violence. The 3rd study had 28 participants complete six short surveys over the course of three weeks to examine whether emotion and problem focused coping strategies moderated the effects of workplace aggression and violence on participants’ general health. Problem-focused coping significantly positively moderated the effects for workplace aggression on participants’ general health whereas emotion-focused coping negatively moderated the effects. Neither emotion nor problem focused coping strategies moderated the effects of workplace violence on an individual’s general health. These three studies demonstrate that workplace aggression and violence are a reality for young adults and that additional research and programs are required to help young adults deal with these experiences.