Prevalence and influencing factors of workplace violence among psychiatric nurses in China: a cross-sectional study.

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of workplace violence (WPV) among psychiatric nurses in China and to identify factors associated with WPV, thereby providing evidence for the prevention and management of workplace violence in psychiatric nursing practice. Methods: From September 2024 to September 2025, a cross-sectional survey was conducted among on-duty nurses from 20 psychiatric hospitals in Jiangsu Province, China. Data were collected using the Workplace Violence Scale (WVS), the Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ), the Chinese Perceived Stress Scale (CPSS), and the Survey of Perceived Organizational Support (SPOS). Multivariable logistic regression analyses were performed to examine factors associated with overall workplace violence, physical workplace violence, and non-physical workplace violence. Results: A total of 43.9% of psychiatric nurses reported experiencing at least one form of workplace violence during the past 12 months. Multivariable logistic regression analyses showed that sex, years of work experience, hospital level, department, number of monthly night shifts, and perceived organizational support were independently associated with overall workplace violence (all Conclusion: Workplace violence remains highly prevalent among psychiatric nurses. Physical and non-physical workplace violence share common associated factors but may involve partly different underlying mechanisms. Physical workplace violence appeared to be more closely related to work-environmental and immediate patient-care conditions, whereas non-physical workplace violence was additionally associated with negative coping. These differences highlight the need to combine system-level prevention measures with targeted interventions addressing coping styles and non-physical aggression in psychiatric healthcare settings.