Abuse and violence during home care work as predictor of worker depression.

OBJECTIVES Home care workers provide care without the normal protections afforded in the hospital. This study describes the prevalence of abuse and violence experienced by home care workers and its relationship to workers' depression. METHODS A two-wave telephone survey (N=1,643) was conducted to assess the prevalence of abuse and prevalence/incidence of workers' depression. RESULTS Abuse was significant for elevated odds for depression, with a dose effect. Violence was highly associated with depression. CONCLUSIONS Preventive and early intervention measures should be taken to reduce mental health consequences of abuse and violence among home care workers.