Prevalence of Workplace Violence Against Young Workers in the United States

Details

• Personal Author:
  Casteel, Carri ; Davis, Jonathan A. ; Myers, Douglas ; Peek-Asa, Corinne ; Rauscher, Kimberly
• Description:
  Background: Workers under the age of 25 may be at particular risk for workplace violence, given their predominant employment in the high-risk retail and service industries. Little research exists, however, that estimates the scope of the problem within this population. To fill this gap, we conducted the first national study of workplace violence against young people in the United States. Methods: We analyzed survey data collected via telephone interview from a national sample of 1031 young workers ages 14 through 24 who held a formal job in the last 12 months. Weighted frequencies were calculated and x2 tests of significance were used to detect differences between groups. Results: Many youth experience workplace violence (60%). Verbal abuse of the sort that made victims feel scared and unsafe (53%) and sexual harassment (24%) were the most commonly reported forms of violence. Females were more likely than males to experience workplace violence overall (p < 0.001) and sexual harassment (p < 0.001) in particular. Males were more likely to experience verbal abuse (p < 0.001). Workplace violence was most prevalent among workers in healthcare settings and eating and drinking places. The occupation with the highest prevalence of workplace violence was customer service. Conclusions: Workplace violence is common among young workers in the United States and more widespread than prior estimates have suggested. This study is the first to provide a true national prevalence estimate of the problem of workplace violence among young workers ages 14 to 24 in the United States. These findings should be used to locate areas of concern and target resources where they are needed most to address this significant problem. [Description provided by NIOSH]
• Subjects:
  Adolescent Occupational Health Safety Violence Workplace
• Keywords:
  Adolescents Age Groups Author Keywords: Adolescent Workers Retail Workers Service Industries Sexual Harassment Verbal Abuse Work Environment Workplace Violence Young Workers
• ISSN:
  0271-3586
• Document Type:
  Text
• Funding:
  Grant
• Genre:
  Journal Article
• Place as Subject:
  California ; Idaho ; Iowa ; OSHA Region 10 ; OSHA Region 3 ; OSHA Region 7 ; OSHA Region 9 ; West Virginia
• CIO:
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH)
• Topic:
  Workplace Safety & Health
• Location:
  North America
• Pages in Document:
  10 pdf pages
• NIOSHTIC Number:
  nn:20067332
• Citation:
  Am J Ind Med 2023 Jun; 66(6):462-471
• Contact Point Address:
  Kimberly Rauscher, ScD, MA, School of Public and Population Health, Boise State University, 1910 University Dr, MS 1835, Boise, ID 83725
• Email:
  kimberlyrauscher@boisestate.edu
• Federal Fiscal Year:
  2023
• Performing Organization:
  West Virginia University
• Peer Reviewed:
  True
• Start Date:
  20150930
• Source Full Name:
  American Journal of Industrial Medicine
• End Date:
  20180929
• Collection(s):
  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
• Main Document Checksum:
  urn:sha-512:54e41c78bc9e928e34768ccc38e464309027d722834969f3818611db0fafb6a0b6416642761d8a432eaf33d44bce415e61eec6b6112d33f28aa131b674320c5b
• Download URL:
  https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/230661/cdc_230661_DS1.pdf
• File Type:
  [PDF - 506.36 KB ]