Workplace Violence and Burnout among Health Workers Two Years after the COVID-19 Outbreak in Wuhan, China: The Chain Mediation Effect of Sleep Disturbance and Work Ability.

Background: Health workers (HWs) faced considerable psychosocial hazards during the COVID-19 pandemic, which profoundly affected their occupational health and job performance. The potential indirect relationship between workplace violence (WPV) and burnout among HWs needs to be further explored. The purpose of this study is to examine the chain mediating effects of sleep disturbance and work ability in the relationship between WPV and burnout among HWs.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a secondary hospital two years after the COVID-19 outbreak in Wuhan, China. A sample of 571 HWs was recruited using a cluster sampling method, achieving a response rate of 80.06%. Participants completed self-report questionnaires that included demographic information and measures of WPV, burnout, sleep disturbance, and work ability.

Results: The prevalence rates of burnout and WPV among HWs two years after the COVID-19 outbreak were 37.30% and 31.52%, respectively. WPV was significantly associated with burnout (β = 0.446, < 0.001). Sleep disturbance was identified as a mediator in the relationship between WPV and burnout (β = 0.063, 95% CI: 0.027-0.105), accounting for 14.13% of the total effect. Similarly, work ability also played a mediating role in this relationship (β = 0.142, 95% CI: 0.065-0.225), accounting for 31.84%. Additionally, both sleep disturbance and work ability exhibited a chain mediation effect on the association between WPV and burnout (β = 0.020, 95% CI: 0.008-0.036), and the total indirect effect accounted for 50.67%.

Conclusions: Among Chinese HWs, WPV exerts significant direct and indirect effects on burnout symptoms, mediated by sleep disturbance and work ability. This finding provides valuable empirical insights for designing interventions to mitigate the adverse effects of psychosocial factors such as WPV and burnout among HWs. After exposure to WPV, measures focused on reducing sleep disturbance and enhancing work ability may prove effective in alleviating burnout in subsequent interventions.