Prevalence of nurses' smoking habits in psychiatric and general hospitals in China.

This study determined the prevalence of lifetime and current smoking and the correlates of current smoking in nurses working in psychiatric and general hospitals in China. Of 807 distributed questionnaires, 799 nurses who were working in two psychiatric hospitals (n=387, 48.4%), and one general hospital (n=412, 51.6%) had analyzable data. Socio-demographic, alcohol use and smoking data were collected with a self-reported questionnaire. Work-related stress was evaluated with the Nurse Stress Inventory. In the whole sample, the lifetime smoking prevalence was 7.6% (females=2.1% vs. males=48.9%, p<0.0001; psychiatric nurses=14.5% vs. non-psychiatric nurses=1.2%, p<0.0001). The prevalence of current smoking was 7.1% (females=2.1% vs. males=44.7%, p<0.0001; psychiatric nurses=13.4% vs. non-psychiatric nurses=1.2%, p<0.0001). In a multiple logistic regression analysis, age 30 years or older, male gender, having children, being a psychiatric nurse and alcohol consumption were positively associated with smoking, while being a nursing officer was negatively associated with smoking (r(2) = 0.513, p<0.0001). Considering the harmful effects of smoking as well as second-hand smoking in the presence of children, effective measures to promote smoking cessation for male, older and psychiatric nurses and those with children are warranted.

Frequency and risk factors of workplace violence on psychiatric nurses and its impact on their quality of life in China.

This study examined the frequency of violence on nurses in Chinese psychiatric hospitals and explored its risk factors and impact on nurses' quality of life (QOL). A survey was conducted with 387 frontline psychiatric nurses in China. Information about experience of workplace violence in the past 6 months, type of workplace violence, and demographic characteristics was collected by a questionnaire. Altogether 319 (82.4%) of 387 nurses reported having experienced at least one type of violent event in the past 6 months. The prevalence of sexual assault, physical and verbal harassment was 18.6%, 61.5% and 78.6%, respectively. Compared to those with no exposure to violence, nurses who were exposed to violence had lower QOL in both the physical and mental domains. Significant predictors of violence against nurses are male sex, receiving college level or higher education and working on rotating duty were independently associated with high risk of violence. Workplace violence against psychiatric nurses commonly occurs in China. Considering the deleterious effects of violence, comprehensive strategies from the perspective of nursing education and training, organizational policy, patient care and staff support are recommended to promote occupational safety in psychiatric settings in China.