Association between Workplace Violence and Depressive Symptoms among Primary Healthcare Professionals in Shandong, China: Meaning in Life as a Moderator

Background: Workplace violence (WPV) is common in healthcare settings. However, the association between WPV and depressive symptoms has not been explored among primary healthcare professionals, especially in China. The assumption of the moderating effort of meaning in life on the association has also not been tested. The purposes of the study are to investigate the relationship between WPV and depressive symptoms and identify the moderating role of meaning in life among primary healthcare professionals in China. Methods: In this study, we collected 2530 valid questionnaires. The participants were composed of primary healthcare professionals in Shandong province, China. WPV, meaning in life (including presence of life and search for life), depressive symptoms, and some social-demographic variables were evaluated. The SPSS macro was used to build the moderating relationship. Results: WPV was positively correlated with depressive symptoms (beta = 9.09, p < 0.001), and meaning in life was negatively associated with WPV and depressive symptoms (beta = -0.13, p < 0.05) among primary healthcare professionals in China. For primary healthcare professionals with low presence of life, presence of life aggravated the relationship. Conclusions: The current study has verified the association between WPV and meaning in life, and the relationship between WPV and depressive symptoms has been supported among primary healthcare professionals in China. Meaning in life and presence of life as moderators play crucial roles in the relationship between WPV and depressive symptoms.