Violence experienced by Turkish nursing students in clinical settings: Their emotions and behaviors

Aim: This descriptive study aimed to determine the violence experiences of nursing students' in clinical settings, the types of violence, and the way their behaviors and emotions are affected after such an experience. Background: The risk of being subjected to violence among health staff is very high and the students who worked in the same kind of work environments also faced similar risks. Methods: The data of the study were obtained from the 380 nursing students who were studying at 2nd, 3rd, and 4th grades. Participation was voluntary. A questionnaire form was developed by the researchers and distributed to the students. Results: It was found that 50.3% of the students were subjected to violence, and 91.6% of these students were subjected to verbal violence. The students most frequently experienced anger, fury, and enmity (84.3%) after confronting violence. Conclusion: Findings of our study showed that similar to nurses, nursing students, who spent a significant proportion of their education in areas of practice, also experienced violence. Therefore, measures should be taken to prevent the violence inflicted upon nursing students in clinical settings, and nursing students should be provided with information related to communication and the coping methods with violence during their education. © 2010 Elsevier Ltd.