Does fear of workplace violence reduce life satisfaction? The mediating role of psychological resilience among healthcare workers

Abstract

Aim: This study investigates the relationship between fear of workplace violence and life satisfaction among healthcare workers and evaluates the potential mediating role of psychological resilience in this relationship. Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional design was employed with 173 healthcare workers at Balıkesir University Faculty of Medicine Hospital, recruited via convenience sampling between March 15, 2024, and April 15, 2025. Data were collected using the Fear of Workplace Violence, Psychological Resilience, and Life Satisfaction scales. Mediation analysis was conducted using PROCESS Macro v5.0 (Model 4) with 5,000 bootstrap samples and a 95% confidence interval. Gender, age, professional experience, education, marital status, and prior exposure to violence were included as control variables. Results: Approximately 24.3% of participants reported previous exposure to violence. Correlational analyses indicated that fear of workplace violence was significantly and negatively associated with both psychological resilience (r=-0.382, p<0.001) and life satisfaction (r=-0.437, p<0.001), whereas psychological resilience was positively associated with life satisfaction(r=0.262, p< 0.01). In the mediation model, fear of violence significantly predicted lower psychological resilience B=-0.319) and had a strong direct adverse effect on life satisfaction (B=-0.517). The overall model explained 36.3% of the variance in life satisfaction (R2 =0.363). Conclusion: Fear of workplace violence is a significant predictor of reduced life satisfaction; this association remains robust after controlling for sociodemographic factors and prior victimization. Notably, psychological resilience did not mediate this relationship within this sample. These findings suggest that individual-level interventions alone are insufficient; organizational strategies must prioritize reducing the perceived risk and fear of violence to protect healthcare workers’ well-being.