Aims and objectives.  To extend a model of the antecedents of workplace bullying to apply to a wider range of types of workplace aggression, including bullying and several types of violence, among nurses.Background.  Research that has focused on workplace bullying has found that the Demand‐Control‐Support model, negative affectivity and certain demographic factors play important roles as antecedents of bullying.Design.  A cross‐sectional design.Methods.  A validated questionnaire was sent to the work addresses of all nursing and midwifery staff in a medium‐to‐large hospital in Australia. A total of 273 nurses and midwives returned their completed questionnaires. Ordinal regressions were conducted to assess the antecedents of workplace aggression across bullying and violence.Results.  Aspects of the Demand‐Control‐Support model and job tenure significantly predicted particular forms of violence, while negative affectivity and work schedule were significant for bullying.Conclusions.  The patterns of the results suggest key mechanisms that characterise certain forms of violence and distinguish between bullying and types of violence across the range of workplace aggression. In particular, oppression and exposure appear to differentiate types of workplace violence.Relevance to clinical practice.  The study suggests ways in which nursing and hospital managers may act to reduce the likelihood of certain forms of aggression, particularly violence, from occurring.