Transformation and personality development: the outcomes of client’s violence in the professional relationship of social workers

Background: Violent behaviors in professional relationships of social workers have become a growing concern for the international society. The outcomes of violence are effective in professional relationships. The purpose of this study was to better understand the consequences of violence in the professional relationships of Iranian social workers in order to improve their performance and coping skills. Methods: The study was carried out through qualitative content analysis and 20 semistructured interviews were conducted with 17 social workers. The participants were selected through purposeful method and data gathering was stopped after data saturation. Results: Two main categories including “distress” and “development opportunity” and four subcategories including “distress and social worker’s reactions,” “distress and client’s reactions,” “personality development,” and “reinforcement of professionalism” were identified. Conclusion: The cognition of violence consequences and learning coping skills in professional communication in social work can improve professional performance. Paying special attention to distress and violence repercussions and making appropriate decisions by putting in practice scientific and practical training in workplaces and educational settings can help social workers in preventing and reducing violence. As experiences in social work settings are not enough, it is suggested to look at the objective of this research from a macro-social and organizational perspective and plan both at the micro and macro levels to reduce violence.