Work-related violence and threats are frequent in human service sectors. Although previous studies have identified several psycho-social work environmental risk factors for work-related violence and threats, the research domain still remains mainly descriptive and non-theoretical in nature.
OBJECTIVE:
Using the Job-Demands-Control model we analysed the relationship between the psycho-social work environment and work-related threats and violence.
METHOD:
Using a two-wave (2011 and 2015) longitudinal study of 2678 participants, we analysed the main and interactive effects of quantitative demands and job control on exposure to work-related violence and threats.
RESULTS:
High work demands and low job-control were associated with elevated risk of work-related threats in 2011 and in 2015. The associations of work demands and job control and work-related violence were mixed. There were not statistically significant interaction effects between high demands and low job control on neither work-related violence nor threats.
CONCLUSION:
In sectors where work-related threats and violence are likely to occur, risk prevention may also require improving the work conditions for employees, more specifically by reducing work-demands and increasing job control for instance by differentiating between important and less important work demands and by implementing self-autonomous work-teams may be a way to increase job control.
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