Workplace violence and mental health among Taiwanese public servants: A national cross-sectional study

Workplace violence (WPV) remains a critical public health concern among Taiwanese public servants despite regulatory frameworks such as the Occupational Safety and Health Act. This national cross-sectional study (N = 20,046) examined the prevalence of WPV and its associations with mental health and sleep duration among Taiwanese public servants. Using probabilistic sampling, participants were recruited from four major employment sectors: civil service, public enterprises, medical services, and public schools. Participants reported exposure to physical violence, psychological violence, verbal abuse, and sexual harassment during the previous 12 months. Overall, 37.20% of participants experienced at least one type of WPV. Multivariable logistic regression revealed that, compared to public enterprise organizations, the medical service sector carried the highest independent risk across all WPV categories: physical violence (AOR = 4.87), sexual harassment (AOR = 2.20), verbal abuse (AOR = 2.11), and psychological violence (AOR = 2.01). Civil servants also demonstrated consistently higher odds across all exposure categories, with overall WPV increasing by roughly 31% (AOR = 1.305). After adjusting for demographic and occupational factors, WPV, particularly psychological abuse, was significantly associated with impaired mental health and shorter sleep duration. These findings underscore the substantial burden of WPV and the need for targeted prevention. Public servants exposed to WPV tend to experience shorter sleep duration and poorer mental well-being. This highlights the need for attention to developing a supportive environment for WPV protection and promoting workforce health and safety.