Organizational determinants of violence in the workplace

Statistics show that incidents of violence in the workplace are on the rise. This article examines the effects of organizational structure on aggression and violence in the workplace. In the case of organizational aggression and violence, organizational factors interact with other behavioral determinants. Through a review of the literature, it was determined that structural characteristics can lead to such behavior when there is an incongruence of needs/expectations and environment between the individual and the organization. Individuals progress along a frustration–violence continuum until intervening action is taken by the individual or the organization to overcome obstacles to goals or expectations. A model provides support of this analysis.     

Identification of the psychopathic batterer: The clinical,legal, and policy implications

A number of theoretical and empirical sources have proposed that a subgroup of domestically violent men exhibit more antisocial behavior, express more generalized violence, and are generally more resistant to mental health intervention than others. In a parallel literature, researchers have identified a subgroup of violent criminal offenders (i.e., psychopaths) that exhibit a number of similar characteristics to this more antisocial/generally violent group of batterers. Moreover, the offender literature on psychopathy describes the violence tendencies, physiological responses, cognitive impairments, interpersonal/affective characteristics, and treatment responsiveness of these individuals in much greater depth and breadth than the current domestic violence literature. The present article seeks to compare and contrast these two literatures, proposing that there is a subgroup of batterers that can be characterized as exhibiting significant psychopathic characteristics. The clinical, legal, and policy implications of identifying a subgroup of batterers in this manner also are explored.     

Law Enforcement Officers: The Consequences of Exposure to Violence

Law enforcement officers are exposed to victims of violence, are themselves victims of violence, and, at times, use violence against offenders. The authors discuss methods that officers have developed for handling violent situations and explore some of the effects this exposure to violence has on both their mental and physical health. Suggestions are developed for counselors working with law enforcement personnel and others who need to cope with the direct and indirect effects of violence.     

A qualitative and quantitative evaluation of an experiment for preventing violence in the workplace

No research has verified the effectiveness of measures for the prevention of workplace violence in the school setting. The present project includes several steps: administration of a pre- and post-intervention questionnaire, training of workers and implementation of an awareness program, distribution of prevention material and qualitative and quantitative evaluation. The aim is to verify if the awareness program had an effect on the level of prevention management undertaken by the school and if there was any effect of the intervention on the wokers’ perception of the safety level of the setting and if the number of victims of violent acts and behaviors was reduced. The results of the post-test show that less physical violence was reported by the experimental group and less psychological violence by the control group. These results are discussed in relation to the implementation of the intervention.     

Reducing psychopathic violence: A review of the treatment literature

Psychopathy reflects a pathological form of personality that predisposes individuals to risk for perpetration of chronic and severe violence across their lifespan. The violence attributable to psychopathic persons constitutes a substantial portion of the societal burden to the public health and criminal justice systems and thus necessitates significant attention by prevention experts. However, there is a relatively nascent literature that has examined psychopathic persons' response to treatment, especially considering violence as an outcome. Nevertheless, there have been repeated averments about the amenability (or lack thereof) of psychopathy to treatment. In the present paper, we attempt to provide a comprehensive review of studies assessing the relation of psychopathy to violence outcomes following intervention. Our review of studies suggests there is reason to suspect that specific and tailored interventions which take into consideration psychopathic persons' unique patterns of behavioral conditioning and predispositions may have the potential to reduce violence. However, equally important, certain interventions may potentially exacerbate these persons' violent behavior. The nature of the outcomes is likely highly dependent on the specific components of the intervention itself. We conclude that future research should increase methodological rigor by striving to include treatment control groups and increasing the transparency of the implemented interventions.     

Assessing research on workplace violence, 2000–2012

Since the highly publicized U.S. Postal violence cases in the 1980s, workplace aggression and workplace violence have been the source of much public discussion and concern. Yet, the topic has only recently received sustained empirical attention—most of which has come from the organizational management and business fields. This article provides a review of the empirical research literature on workplace violence in several databases from 2000 to 2012. Our review uncovers that different occupational domains have different experiences with workplace violence, while some occupations are subject to distinct types of violence by unique aggressors. Directions for future theoretical and empirical research are highlighted.     

Instructions for Authors

SUICIDE AND LIFE‐THREATENING BEHAVIOR is devoted to emergent theoretical, clinical, and public health approaches related to violent, self‐destructive, and life‐threatening behaviors. It is multidisciplinary and concerned with a broad range of related topics including, but not limited to, suicide, suicide prevention, biology of suicide, death, accidents, epidemiology, crisis intervention, postvention with survivors, nomenclature, standards of care, clinical training and interventions, violence, euthanasia, and assisted suicide.     

Instructions for Authors

SUICIDE AND LIFE‐THREATENING BEHAVIOR is devoted to emergent theoretical, clinical, and public health approaches related to violent, self‐destructive, and life‐threatening behaviors. It is multidisciplinary and concerned with a broad range of related topics including, but not limited to, suicide, suicide prevention, biology of suicide, death, accidents, epidemiology, crisis intervention, postvention with survivors, nomenclature, standards of care, clinical training and interventions, violence, euthanasia, and assisted suicide.     

A Review of Determinants of and Interventions for Proenvironmental Behaviors in Organizations

A review of empirical studies on proenvironmental behaviors in organizational contexts is presented. Twenty‐one studies met the inclusion criteria. Quantitative effect sizes were compared where statistics were available and research designs were comparable. Characteristics of the dependent variable and the targeted organizational (sub)populations were systematically examined. With respect to individual‐specific determinants, the results show relatively consistent effects for attitudinal determinants and past behavior. For organization‐specific influences, management and physical facilitation were frequently significant. Findings related to other factors are less conclusive. Given the available evidence and feasibility considerations, it is recommended that interventions focus on physical facilitation, tailored persuasive communication, and active engagement of middle management. It is further recommended that future research integrates the analysis of individual and organizational determinants.     

Video game violence: A review of the empirical literature

The popularity of video games, especially violent video games, has reached phenomenal proportions. The theoretical line of reasoning that hypothesizes a causal relationship between violent video-game play and aggression draws on the very large literature on media violence effects. Additionally, there are theoretical reasons to believe that video game effects should be stronger than movie or television violence effects. This paper outlines what is known about the relationship between violent video-game playing and aggression. The available literature on virtual reality effects on aggression is discussed as well. The preponderance of the evidence from the existing literature suggests that exposure to video-game violence increases aggressive behavior and other aggression-related phenomena. However, the paucity of empirical data, coupled with a variety of methodological problems and inconsistencies in these data, clearly demonstrate the need for additional research.     

Evaluation of the Responding in Peaceful and Positive Ways (RIPP) Seventh Grade Violence Prevention Curriculum

We evaluated the impact of RIPP-7, a seventh grade violence prevention curriculum designed to strengthen and extend the effects of the sixth grade RIPP-6 curriculum. Classes of seventh graders at two urban middle schools serving predominantly African-American youth where RIPP-6 had been implemented the preceding school year were randomized to intervention (N = 239) and control groups (N = 237). Compared to students in the control group, students who participated in RIPP-7 had fewer disciplinary code violations for violent offenses during the following school year. A limited number of main effects were found on self-report outcome measures and measures of attitudes. Although significant main effects were not found on self-report measures of physical aggression, drug use, or anxiety, analyses of interactions with pretest scores indicated that intervention effects were significantly moderated by pretest scores for several outcome measures. Students most likely to benefit from the intervention were those who reported higher pretest rates of problem behaviors including violent behavior, nonphysical aggression, and delinquent behavior.     

Video game violence: A review of the empirical literature

The popularity of video games, especially violent video games, has reached phenomenal proportions. The theoretical line of reasoning that hypothesizes a causal relationship between violent video-game play and aggression draws on the very large literature on media violence effects. Additionally, there are theoretical reasons to believe that video game effects should be stronger than movie or television violence effects. This paper outlines what is known about the relationship between violent video-game playing and aggression. The available literature on virtual reality effects on aggression is discussed as well. The preponderance of the evidence from the existing literature suggests that exposure to video-game violence increases aggressive behavior and other aggression-related phenomena. However, the paucity of empirical data, coupled with a variety of methodological problems and inconsistencies in these data, clearly demonstrate the need for additional research.     

“I Choked Her But I Did Not Punch Her”: Constructions of Intimate Partner Violence Among Men in the Philippines

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is a phenomenon that is persistent in society and exacts a heavy psychological toll on women and children victimized by it. This research aims to understand how doers of intimate partner violence construe or perceive their alleged violent behavior. This study focuses on fifteen men with cases of Republic Act of 9262 or the Anti-Violence Against Women for physical, psychological, economic and/or sexual abuse in Surigao del Sur, Philippines. Participants were interviewed on their perception of intimate partner violence and the factors that led to their alleged violent behavior. Thematic network analysis yielded five global themes to explain that there are different yet inter-related causations of violence according to the participants: (1) act of IPV as a cognitive dissonance; (2) socio-economic condition as primary source of conflict; (3) blaming partner as the problem; (4) IPV as an impulsive and emotional response; and (5) ineffective conflict resolution. The doers position themselves to be intrinsically good people who denounce the act of violence, however, to compensate their contradicting behavior, they minimize the consequence of behavior and negate responsibility through different mechanisms of moral disengagement. Given the results, the research stresses the importance of a rehabilitation program that targets moral disengagement, anger management and effective conflict resolution.     

A School-Based,Primary Violence Prevention Program

Summary

This article presents findings from an evaluative study of a multidisciplinary violence prevention project jointly administered by a family practice clinic and junior high school in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The project team hypothesized that an intervention established on a public health model and aimed at enhancing adolescent self-esteem through cognitive and behavioral strategies would reduce the tendency to engage in violence of participating students. The project united health care personnel, social workers and legal profession-als in an effort to teach students specific cognitive tools for the reduction and avoidance of violent encounters. The experimental results do not reveal Project effectiveness in boosting self-esteem indicators among students, although the Project docs seem to have contributed to the control of students' behavioral aggression. Although a clear relationship between self-esteem and violent behavior is not demonstrated by the experimental results, the project study suggests that school-based, anti-violence programs based on a public health model can have a positive effect in the reduction of physical and verbal aggression among adolescents.     

受害者视角下职场不文明行为对组织公民行为影响的双路径机制

本文基于资源保存理论,探讨职场不文明行为对组织公民行为的影响机制及作用边界。通过问卷调查315份员工和领导的配对样本数据,结果表明：职场不文明行为负向预测组织公民行为,情绪耗竭、组织自尊中介了职场不文明行为与组织公民行为间的关系;心理韧性调节了情绪耗竭、组织自尊在二者间的中介作用。     

The Role of Attitudes and Awareness in Anti-Violence Education

Summary

Most interventions for the prevention of violence in relationships aim at attitudes and awareness. Prevailing attitudes in our society already condemn violence, however, and wife assault is viewed as particularly serious. Some research shows that perpetrators have attitudes more supportive of violence than other people do, but the link between attitudes and behavior can be complex. Trying to persuade people to change their attitudes in one direction can lead instead to people taking more extreme versions of their existing attitudes. Some interventions that raise awareness and promote availability of services appear to teach participants to take the problem less seriously. Most students report neither undesirable attitudes nor low awareness of violence in relationships. But their behavior appears inconsistent with their reported attitudes and awareness. If interpersonal violence has its roots in a problem more fundamental than the views of contemporary society, then anti-violence education based on attitudes and awareness will have limited benefits, and possibly some harmful effects. This article encourages a cautious rethinking of assumptions underlying current anti-violence education and alternative theories of violent behavior. It offers some suggestions for ways to reduce violent behavior, and encourages integration of violence prevention efforts into regular curricula and extra-curricular activities.     

Violence in Ideological and Non‐Ideological Groups: A Quantitative Analysis of Qualitative Data1

Multiple models have been proposed to account for violence among ideological groups. To identify critical variables contributing to violent behavior in these groups, violent ideological groups were compared to relevant comparison groups. A historically based content analysis was conducted to assess these groups with respect to a number of variables examining leader, group, organizational, and environmental attributes held to influence violence. Discriminant analyses revealed that violent ideological groups differed from comparison groups with respect to leader extremism, group righteousness, organizational indoctrination, and environmental conflict and disruption. Regression analyses revealed that these discriminant functions predicted a number of notable violent and ideological criteria. The implications of these findings for understanding the origins of violence in ideological groups are discussed.     

The aftermath of workplace violence among healthcare workers: A systematic literature review of the consequences

Workplace violence is an important health and safety issue. Healthcare workers are particularly at risk of experiencing workplace violence. Despite the research that was conducted in this domain, little is known about the consequences of being a victim of workplace violence, specifically in the healthcare sector. Therefore, this article aims to review the literature regarding the consequences of exposure to workplace violence in the healthcare sector. Sixty-eight studies were included in the review and they were evaluated according to 12 criteria recommended for systematic reviews. The studies identified seven categories of consequences of workplace violence: (1) physical, (2) psychological, (3) emotional, (4) work functioning, (5) relationship with patients/quality of care, (6) social/general, and (7) financial. Psychological (e.g., posttraumatic stress, depression) and emotional (e.g., anger, fear) consequences and impact on work functioning (e.g., sick leave, job satisfaction) were the most frequent and important effects of workplace violence. In conclusion, this paper recommends further research, particularly longitudinal studies, in order to better grasp the direct and indirect effects of workplace violence.     

Growing up in a Violent Society: Longitudinal Predictors of Violence in Colombian Adolescents

Although violence and homicide are more prevalent in Colombia, South America than the US, the role of psychosocial factors in the violent behavior of Colombian adolescents remains unclear. The aim of this longitudinal study was to examine the interrelation of domains of personality, familial, peer, and ecological variables associated with violence in a community sample of adolescents from various self-reported ethnic groups in Colombia. The sample consisted of 1,151 male adolescents selected from three Colombian cities. The participants were surveyed using structured interviews at two points in time over a 2-year interval. Data were collected concerning adolescent personal attributes, family characteristics, peer, and ecological factors, including drug availability and the prevalence of violence in the community. The dependent variable was the self-reported frequency of the adolescent’s violent behavior. The results supported a model in which violent behavior was correlated independently over time with a number of risk factors from several domains. Evidence for the hypothesized mediated effects of the familial monitoring and bonding domain, the peer domain, the ecological domain, and prior victimization related to personal attributes and contemporaneous violence and the adolescent’s violent behavior 2 years later was also found. The findings suggest the use of specific intervention procedures with adolescents to prevent their subsequent violent behavior.     

Opening the black box: Presenting a model for evaluating organizational-level interventions

Organizational-level occupational health interventions are often recommended when improvements in working conditions, employee health, and well-being are sought within organizations. Research has revealed that these interventions result in inconsistent effects despite being based on theoretical frameworks. This inconsistency indicates that intervention studies need to be designed to examine directly how and why such interventions bring about change and why they sometimes fail. We argue that intervention studies should include a process evaluation that includes a close examination of the psychological and organizational mechanisms that hinder and facilitate desired intervention outcomes. By drawing on existing intervention literature we present an evidence-based model containing three levels of elements that appear to be crucial in process evaluation. We describe how this model may be applied and developed in future research to identify better the mechanisms that link intervention processes to intervention outcomes.