Crisis social support after work-related violence and threats and risk for depressive symptoms: a 3-months follow-up study

Introduction Employees working at psychiatric wards are at risk for work-related threats and violence that may impact their physical and mental health. Studies have found that crisis social support may mitigate these adverse health effects. Purpose To examine the effects crisis social support on depressive symptoms 3 months after a violent or threating work incident and furthermore, to examine the effect of variations in prolonged social support on depressive symptoms during 3 months after a violent or threating incident. Methodology After exposure to work-related violence and threats at work, the employees received a questionnaire within the first month and after 3 months. Right after the incident, 374 employees answered both the depression and crisis support items and were included in the analyses. 3 months later 276 employees answered both the depression and social support items. Prospective associations between crisis social support and depression were calculated using stepwise regressions and linear mixed models. Results Crisis social support at T1 was significantly and inversely associated with a lower level of depressive symptoms at T2, Std. Beta = − 012, t (3) = − 2.1, p = .040. Employees experiencing either a stable or increasing level of support from T1 to T2 had significantly lower levels of depressive symptoms compared to employees who experienced a decrease in support in the same period, mean difference Stable–Decreasing = 4.0 t (190) = 5.2, p = 0.006 and mean difference Increasing–Decreasing = 7.6, t (189) = 5.3, p < .001. Conclusion The study results indicate that depressive symptoms following work-related violence or threats can be mitigated by prolonged social support. We recommend that organizations continue to offer crisis social support in the subsequent months, and not just immediately after a violent or threating incident.