"We're made of flesh and blood, too" : new models of the consequences of client-initiated workplace violence

Workplace violence and psychological aggression have been found to have many and severe personal and organizational consequences. In certain occupations, the occurrence of client-initiated physical assaults, threats, and psychological aggression cannot be completely averted. It is therefore crucial to find new and explore known factors that mitigate negative consequences of such victimization. This is the main aim of this thesis, which focuses on violence and hostility against public officials.
In Study 1, data from a sample of 330 frontline staff of job center and social security offices was used to test an extended structural model of the consequences of workplace violence. The results confirmed the mediational role of fear of future violence with regard to psychological and physical well-being and irritability, and they demonstrated the importance of the newly introduced variables perceived prevention of violence and perceived coping ability with future violence.
The aim of Study 2 was to examine whether previous findings on the consequences of workplace violence—including the mediating role of fear of future violence—apply to a high-risk occupational group, namely police officers for whom future victimization seems virtually inevitable. I suggested and tested a relational model and compared it with a series of alternative models, which allowed to estimate the relative influences of exposure to violence and aggression, of fear of future violence, and of perceived coping ability on turnover intentions, well-being, irritability, and symptoms of burnout. The analysis of data from 596 frontline police officers revealed that the perceived likelihood and fear of future violence fully mediated the relationships between exposure to psychological aggression and outcomes, but they only partially mediated the relationships between exposure to violence and strains. Perceived coping ability was a predictor of similar strength as fear.
Study 3 employed longitudinal data of 112 police novices to further investigate the role of perceived coping ability. It was found to have main effects on emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and to buffer the effects of high levels of exposure to violence on emotional exhaustion, but not depersonalization. The results also indicate the existence of a vicious circle of victimization and depersonalization.
The aim of Study 4 was to explore resources related to the organizational climate and culture that might mitigate consequences of client-initiated violence and hostility against police officers by predicting perceived coping ability with future workplace violence, fear of future violence, or depersonalization. Care and communication factors, namely perceived prevention of violence, stressor-specific support, the talk climate with respect to disturbing experiences in general, and the discussion of workplace victimization in particular accounted for a significant amount of variance beyond victimization and perceived coping ability in all three investigated outcome variables and in both samples from Study 2 and 3. Practical implications are discussed.

Accepted by the dissertation committee:
Prof. Franziska Tschan Semmer, University of Neuchâtel, thesis director
Prof. Adrian Bangerter, University of Neuchâtel
Prof. Marianne Schmid Mast, University of Lausanne
PD Dr. Laurenz Meier, University of Fribourg
Defended on 23rd March 2016