Determination of the Society's Perceptions, Experiences, and Intentions to Use Violence Against Health Professionals

BACKGROUND: Violence against health professionals is an increasing problem in Turkey. This study aims to determine the societal perception of violence, experience of violence, and the intentions to use violence against health professionals. METHODS: This descriptive study sample comprised 484 individuals. Data were collected by using the “Descriptive Information Form” and “Intentions to Use Violence against Health Professionals Scale.” RESULTS: Of the participants, 8.3% used violence against health professionals. Most of the participants (81.2%) stated that violence was not a solution, and 65.9% believed that health professionals did not deserve violence. Past behavior of the participants was the most influential factor on the intention to use violence (β = .473, p = 0.000). CONCLUSIONS: More than half of the participants believed that health professionals did not deserve violence and violence was not a solution. We found that intention to use violence was affected by past experiences.