Prevalence of Workplace Sexual Violence against Healthcare Workers Providing Home Care: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Marco Clari, Alessio Conti, Alessandro Scacchi, Marco Scattaglia, Valerio Dimonte and Maria Michela Gianino
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Marco Clari: Department of Public Health and Paediatrics, University of Torino, via Santena 5bis, 10126 Turin, Italy
Alessio Conti: Department of Public Health and Paediatrics, University of Torino, via Santena 5bis, 10126 Turin, Italy
Alessandro Scacchi: Department of Public Health and Paediatrics, University of Torino, via Santena 5bis, 10126 Turin, Italy
Marco Scattaglia: Department of Public Health and Paediatrics, University of Torino, via Santena 5bis, 10126 Turin, Italy
Valerio Dimonte: Department of Public Health and Paediatrics, University of Torino, via Santena 5bis, 10126 Turin, Italy
Maria Michela Gianino: Department of Public Health and Paediatrics, University of Torino, via Santena 5bis, 10126 Turin, Italy

IJERPH, 2020, vol. 17, issue 23, 1-15

Abstract: This systematic review and meta-analysis sought to explore the prevalence of sexual violence including both sexual harassment and abuse, perpetrated by clients against home healthcare workers (HCWs), including professional and paraprofessional HCWs. To this end, we systematically searched five relevant databases. Two reviewers extracted data from the included studies independently and performed a quality appraisal. Overall and subgroup random-effects pooled prevalence meta-analyses were performed. Due to high heterogeneity, a more robust model using a quality effect estimator was used. Fourteen studies were included, and the prevalence of sexual violence was 0.06 (95% confidence interval (CI): 0.01–0.13). Paraprofessionals had a higher prevalence of sexual violence (0.07, 95% CI: 0.00–0.18 vs. 0.05, 95% CI: 0.00–0.12), and the prevalence of sexual abuse was lower than that of sexual harassment (0.04, 95% CI: 0.00–0.10 vs. 0.10, 95% CI: 0.03–0.18). This systematic review estimated the prevalence of sexual violence across home HCWs from different high-income countries, highlighting the presence of this phenomenon to a lesser but nevertheless considerable extent compared to other healthcare settings. Health management should consider interventions to prevent and reduce the risk of home HCWs from being subjected to sexual violence, as the home-care sector presents particular risks for HCWs because clients’ homes expose them to a relatively uncontrolled work environment.

Keywords: sex offenses; healthcare workers; home care; systematic review; meta-analysis (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:23:p:8807-:d:452021

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