The impact of being bullied at school on psychological distress and work engagement in a community sample of adult workers in Japan

Abstract

ObjectiveThe aim of this study was to investigate the long-term impact of being bullied at school on current psychological distress and work engagement in adulthood among Japanese workers. We hypothesized that workers who had been bullied at school could have higher psychological distress and lower work engagement compared to those who had not been bullied.MethodsWe used data from the Japanese Study on Stratification, Health, Income, and Neighborhood (J-SHINE) project, conducted from July 2010 to February 2011 in Japan. This survey randomly selected the local residents around a metropolitan area in Japan. Of 13,920 adults originally selected, 4,317 people participated this survey, and the total response rate was 31%. The self-administered questionnaires assessed current psychological distress (K6), work engagement (UWES), the experiences of being bullied in elementary or junior high school and other covariates. Statistical analyses were conducted only for workers. Hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted to determine associations between experiences of being bullied at school and psychological distress/work engagement, with six steps.ResultStatistical analysis was conducted for 3,111 workers. The number of respondents who reported being bullied in elementary or junior high school was 1,318 (42%). We found that the experience of being bullied at school was significantly associated with high psychological distress in adulthood (β = .079, p = < .0001); however, the work engagement scores of respondents who were bullied were significantly higher than for people who were not bullied at school (β = .068, p = < .0001), after adjusting all covariates.ConclusionBeing bullied at school was positively associated with both psychological distress and work engagement in a sample of workers. Being bullied at school may be a predisposing factor for psychological distress, as previously reported. The higher levels of work engagement among people who experienced being bullied at school may be because some of them might have overcome the experience to gain more psychological resilience.

Association between school bullying experience and work-related subjective well-being: A systematic review

“…Table 2 shows the characteristics of the included articles. Two recently published cross-sectional studies using retrospective questions met the eligibility criteria 31,32) . Both studies examined the long-term effects of school bullying on work-related SWB among workers using secondary data.…”

“…Both studies examined the long-term effects of school bullying on work-related SWB among workers using secondary data. Of work-related SWB, one study in the United Kingdom treated evaluative well-being (ie, job satisfaction) 31) ; another study in Japan treated hedonic well-being (ie, work engagement) 32) . No studies were found that examined eudemonic well-being.…”

“…Iwanaga et al (2018) 32) examined the association between school bullying and work engagement among 3,111 workers in Japan (mean age, 37.4; women, 44%). Data from randomly selected residents around the Japanese metropolitan area who were working were used.…”

Self-Harm, Suicidal Ideation, and Suicide Attempts in Chinese Adolescents Involved in Different Sub-types of Bullying: A Cross-Sectional Study

“…Over and above different sub-types of bullying, we found that psychological distress is significantly associated with self-harm, SI, and SA. Existing literature has demonstrated that there is a positive correlation between bullying experiences and psychological distress ( 58 ). Previous researchers have indicated that severe psychological distress is a major risk factor for suicidal behavior ( 59 ).…”

Influencing Factors and Countermeasures of School Bullying: A Literature Review

“…School bullying can pose tremendous harm to children, including subjective well-being [5], sleeping disorder [6], depression [7], low self-esteem, anxiety [8], academic performance, suicide [9], perceived difficulties [10], confidence interval, bed wetting, headaches, tummy aches [11], psychological distress [12], mental disorders, commit crimes [13]. and so on, so it has arisen widespread concern around the world.…”