Work-related violence represents a serious form of victimization in the workplace, yet it remains insufficiently researched in the social protection system. The subject of this paper is a systematic review of empirical research on work-related violence, with a particular focus on the social protection system. The paper aims to analyse findings from international research on the prevalence, structure, characteristics of actors (perpetrators and victims), consequences, and coping strategies for work-related violence in the social protection system, compare them with findings from the general working population to understand the specificities of this system, and identify research gaps in the Serbian context. A systematic approach was employed to search the literature in PubMed, PsycINFO, and Google Scholar databases, from May to August 2025, covering papers published between 2000 and 2024. Data were analysed using narrative synthesis, with a special focus on comparative analysis of findings from social protection and findings on work-related violence generally. Results show a high prevalence of work-related violence in social protection (data ranging from 32% to 94%), potentially higher than in other sectors (from 8% to 52%). Dominant forms include verbal aggression, humiliation, gossip, and systematic isolation. Perpetrators are most often direct supervisors (49%) and colleagues (30%), with authoritarian leadership and unsupportive organisational culture representing key risk factors. Victims of work-related violence experience serious consequences at the emotional (anxiety, depression), social (isolation, intention to leave the job), and psychosomatic level (post-traumatic stress disorder, chronic fatigue). In Serbia, there are virtually no empirical data on work-related violence in the social protection system. The paper points to the need for systematic research in Serbia as well, the development of prevention programs adapted to the specificities of this system, and the strengthening of institutional support for employees.
Petar Colic (Wed,) studied this question.