Violence Against Social Work Professionals: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Objective: Workplace violence (WPV) encompasses threats or acts of physical violence, harassment, or intimidation at work. Social workers are frequently exposed to significant WPV risk due to the nature of their work, so this review examines its prevalence. Method: This meta-analysis was reported in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐analyses (PRISMA Statement) guidelines. A comprehensive search was conducted across six electronic databases. Primary research studies published from 1990 to 2024 that analyzed the prevalence of various forms of WPV against social workers were selected. We assessed study quality using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) tool, and examined between-study heterogeneity using the I² statistic. Results: We identified 34 independent studies from 14 countries, comprising a total of 44,907 social workers. The random-effects pooled prevalence estimate of non-physical WPV was 56.9% (95% CI [40.0, 73.6]; I² = 98.9%), while for physical WPV it was 15.3% (95% CI [12.5, 18.1]; I² = 99.9%). Conclusion: Non-physical and physical WPV against social workers is highly prevalent, with significant variation between countries, study location and time period.