Workers on the frontlines of healthcare are encountering "disturbing" levels of unchecked
violence and abuse from both patients and coworkers. Although much has been written about
aggression from a variety of viewpoints, little systematic information has been gathered about what
nurses' see as aggression. It was reported that nurses from both academic and clinical settings
complained that aggression from colleagues was more problematic to deal with than aggression
from patients. Negative effects have been observed in terms of lowered performance, deteriorated
physical and mental health, resulting in alcoholism, and even suicide. So, this study aimed to
identify nature and source of workplace violence as perceived by nurses and to explore the impact
of workplace violence on nurses' behavior and performance. The sample composed of all nurses
working at coronary care unit, burn unit, psychiatric unit, emergency unit, and a representative
sample of nurses working at outpatient clinics of Assuit University Hospital. Data were collected
by using a structured questionnaire. It included demographic characteristics of the studied sample,
items related to the nature and source of violence, as well as workplace violence- behavior and
performance checklist that was adopted from (Ferram, 1995). Results showed that the majority of
nurses exposed to verbal violence at workplace. Patients constituted the main source of violence in
psychiatric unit. However, physicians and patients' relatives constituted the main source of violence
in critical care units and outpatient clinics respectively. Also, it was found that violence has
negative impact on nurses' behavior and performance. Conclusion: Verbal abuse was the most
common type of violence among the majority of nurses at workplace and it has negative impact on
nurses' behavior and performance. Recommendations: Training program is essential for nurses to
prevent violence and aggression in study settings and collaboration with physicians and other
disciplines is needed to decrease violence and its negative impact on nurses' behavior and
performance.