Does exposure to bullying behaviors at the workplace contribute to later suicidal ideation? A three-wave longitudinal study

Abstract

Workplace bullying has been established as a predictor of suicidal ideation, but little is known about the relative impact of different forms of bullying behaviors. This study determines the relative impact of person-related, work-related, and physically intimidating bullying behaviors on subsequent suicidal ideation. Exposure to physical intimidation at work predicted suicidal ideation two years later. Short communication Scand J Work Environ Health. 2016;42(3):246-250. doi:10.5271/sjweh.3554 Does exposure to bullying behaviors at the workplace contribute to later suicidal ideation? A three-wave longitudinal study Objective This study aimed to determine the relative impact of person-related, work-related and physically intimidating bullying behaviors on suicidal ideation two and five years after the fact.Methods Logistic regression analyses were utilized to examine relationships between bullying behaviors and suicidal ideation in a random and representative cohort sample of 1775 (T1-T2)/1613 (T1-T3) Norwegian employees. The time lag between T1 and T2 was two years and five years between T1 and T3. Exposure to bullying behaviors was measured with the revised version of the Negative Acts Questionnaire. Suicidal ideation was measured with a single item asking respondents whether they had "Thoughts about ending your life" during the past seven days.Results Prevalence of suicidal ideation was 4% at T1, 5% at T2, and 4.2% at T3. At T1, 8.2% reported monthly exposure to person-related bullying, 19.1% to work-related bullying, and 1.8% to physically intimidating bullying behaviors. After adjusting for demographic characteristics, baseline suicidal ideation, and the shared variance of the bullying behavior categories, exposure to physical intimidation was the only form of bullying which significantly predicted suicidal ideation two [odds ratio (OR) 10.68, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 4.13-27.58) and five (OR 6.41, 95% CI 1.85-22.14) years later. ConclusionsExposure to workplace bullying behaviors in the form of physically intimidating behaviors is a risk factor for suicidal ideation. Although the prevalence of physical intimidation is low, this study shows that the consequences can be detrimental and organizations should therefore be especially aware of, and have available measures against, this type of bullying.

Workplace bullying and the association with suicidal ideation/thoughts and behaviour: a systematic review

“…The final column in tables 1 and 2 shows the number of quality indicators present for each study. Only two studies by Nielsen et al 18 30 fulfilled all four indicators of study quality. It should be noted, however, that even these studies only adjusted for basic sociodemographic factors.…”

“…*Both Nielsen et al 18 30 studies used the same sample. Covariates adjusted for: (a) gender, age, marital status, personality measure of susceptibility to paranoia (reality weakness); (b) gender, age, change in job or workplace; (c) age, gender, baseline SI, shared variance of the indicators of bullying behaviour (person-related, work-related, physically related bullying behaviours); (d) gender, age, occupational skill level, psychosocial job stressors (supervisor support, job control, job demands, job insecurity).…”

“…Out of the 12 studies, there were 3 large studies with samples of over 1000 participants 18 30 31. While several studies reported clear response rates, many others did not, as commonly they recruited convenience samples where the total population eligible to participate was unknown (marked in tables 1 and 2 as ‘NR’: not reported).…”

“…While several studies reported clear response rates, many others did not, as commonly they recruited convenience samples where the total population eligible to participate was unknown (marked in tables 1 and 2 as ‘NR’: not reported). The recruitment information indicates that only three studies—two by Nielsen et al 18 30 and one by Milner et al 32—recruited from a general population of workers. The two Nielsen studies used data from the same sample (a nationwide representative sample of the Norwegian workforce), while Milner et al 's study recruited a nationally representative sample of working Australian adults.…”

Workplace bullying and sickness absence: a systematic review and meta-analysis of the research literature

“…Psychological and psychosomatic reactions become more prominent and severe with persistent exposure. Illustrating these reactions, research shows that prolonged bullying is associated with subsequent reports of anxiety (8,15), depression (8,16), suicidal ideation (17,18), headache (19), and sleep problems (20)(21)(22). In a meta-analysis it was found that exposure to bullying predicted subsequent mental health complaints [odds ratio (OR) 1.68, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.35-2.09] and somatic complaints (OR 1.77, 95% CI 1.41-2.22) after adjusting for baseline health status (9).…”