Aggression at Work: Bullying, nasty teasing and violence. Prevalence, mediating factors and consequences

TY - BOOK

T1 - Aggression at Work

T2 - Bullying, nasty teasing and violence. Prevalence, mediating factors and consequences

AU - Høgh, Annie

PY - 2009

Y1 - 2009

N2 - Very few international and no Danish studies investigating the consequences of exposure to both physical and psychological aggression at work have been published. The aim of the present thesis is therefore to investigate the prevalence and consequences of different forms of physical and psychological aggression. Four papers are included in the thesis and they address the prevalence and long-term consequences of physical and psychological aggression in the form of nasty teasing and violence and/or threats of violence and short-term consequences of bullying at work including physiological stress response in victims. It was also an aim of the thesis to study whether aspects of the work environment, social climate and personal dispositions would mediate potential relationships between exposure to bullying, nasty teasing or violence and different health effects and stress reactions.      The study populations came from two Danish surveys and one Swedish. One of the Danish sur­veys was the Danish Work Environment Co­hort Study, which includes three cross-sec­tio­nal samples of 5,940, 5,652, and 5,636 employees each representative for the Danish labour for­ce in 1990, 1995 and 2000 respectively, and two cohorts. The second Danish survey was the Psychosocial Work Environment Study, 1997, which includes 1,857 randomly selected representatives of the Danish labour force. The third study population was from a Swe­dish stress survey in 2001 of 437 employees in 5 companies.      Approximately 11% of the respondents in the Danish surveys reported exposure to nasty teasing, violence or threats of violence at work, with very few changes in prevalence between 1990 and 2000. Exposure to psychological aggression was more prevalent than exposure to physical aggression. In 2000, 5.8% of the respondents in the Swedish survey were exposed to nasty teasing, 4.6% to threats of violence and 2.2% to physical violence at work within 12 months. In 2001, 5% reported exposure to bullying in the past six months. Women reported more exposure to violence than men in all years and to nasty teasing in 2000. No gender differences were found with regard to bullying at work. The results also showed that exposure to violence strongly predicted future exposure to violence and that exposure to nasty teasing predicted future exposure to nasty teasing.      Victims of nasty teasing and violence at work reported more short- and long-term psychological, psychosomatic and cognitive stress reactions, mental health problems and fatigue than non-exposed respondents. The more exposure to violence the more fatigue at follow-up. Only short-term consequences of bullying were investigated and victims reported different psychological symptoms and a lower physiological stress response. Gender differences in health effects were focused on specifically and reported for exposure to nasty teasing. The results are discussed and different explanations are suggested.     Victims of bullying and nasty teasing reported lower support from co-workers. Victims of bullying, nasty teasing, and violence reported lower support from supervisors and more conflicts and quarrels than non-exposed. In addition, male victims of nasty teasing also reported more role-conflicts and role-ambiguity, and female victims reported more role-conflicts. Victims of bullying reported a higher level of negative affectivity and victims of violence a weaker sense of coherence than non-exposed. Conflicts and quarrels acted as a partial mediator of the relationships between violence and long-term fatigue and between nasty teasing and long-term mental health problems in men. Low social support from supervisor acted as a partial mediator between exposure to bullying and health outcomes. Low social support from co-workers acted as a partial mediator between nasty teasing and mental health problems in men and between exposure to bullying and somatisation. Sense of coherence acted as a mediator of the relationships between violence and different stress-reactions. Negative affectivity acted as a partial mediator between being bullied and different health effects.      Thus, the longitudinal studies showed that exposure to nasty teasing predicted fatigue in women five years later independently of age, fatigue at baseline, role conflicts, social climate at work, education, job and social class and nasty teasing at follow-up. Exposure to violence predicted fatigue five years later independently of age, gender, and fatigue at baseline, social climate at work and social class and violence at follow-up. The more exposure to violence the more fatigue was reported five years later. In a cross-sectional study, bullying was associated with psychological and somatic health effects and a lower physical stress response independently of age, gender, social climate and negative affectivity.      The three types of aggression: bullying, nasty teasing and violence at work seem to have much in common with regard to social climate at work, personal dispositions, the tendency of repeated exposure and the serious consequences on the victims' health and well being.     In conclusion the results of the present thesis show that a substantial number of employees reports exposure to different forms of aggression that may have serious short- and long-term impact on their health and well-being as well as a strong risk of recurrent exposure. Thus, it is very important to initiate research projects that aim at the prevention and management of both exposure to and consequences of physical and psychological aggression.

AB - Very few international and no Danish studies investigating the consequences of exposure to both physical and psychological aggression at work have been published. The aim of the present thesis is therefore to investigate the prevalence and consequences of different forms of physical and psychological aggression. Four papers are included in the thesis and they address the prevalence and long-term consequences of physical and psychological aggression in the form of nasty teasing and violence and/or threats of violence and short-term consequences of bullying at work including physiological stress response in victims. It was also an aim of the thesis to study whether aspects of the work environment, social climate and personal dispositions would mediate potential relationships between exposure to bullying, nasty teasing or violence and different health effects and stress reactions.      The study populations came from two Danish surveys and one Swedish. One of the Danish sur­veys was the Danish Work Environment Co­hort Study, which includes three cross-sec­tio­nal samples of 5,940, 5,652, and 5,636 employees each representative for the Danish labour for­ce in 1990, 1995 and 2000 respectively, and two cohorts. The second Danish survey was the Psychosocial Work Environment Study, 1997, which includes 1,857 randomly selected representatives of the Danish labour force. The third study population was from a Swe­dish stress survey in 2001 of 437 employees in 5 companies.      Approximately 11% of the respondents in the Danish surveys reported exposure to nasty teasing, violence or threats of violence at work, with very few changes in prevalence between 1990 and 2000. Exposure to psychological aggression was more prevalent than exposure to physical aggression. In 2000, 5.8% of the respondents in the Swedish survey were exposed to nasty teasing, 4.6% to threats of violence and 2.2% to physical violence at work within 12 months. In 2001, 5% reported exposure to bullying in the past six months. Women reported more exposure to violence than men in all years and to nasty teasing in 2000. No gender differences were found with regard to bullying at work. The results also showed that exposure to violence strongly predicted future exposure to violence and that exposure to nasty teasing predicted future exposure to nasty teasing.      Victims of nasty teasing and violence at work reported more short- and long-term psychological, psychosomatic and cognitive stress reactions, mental health problems and fatigue than non-exposed respondents. The more exposure to violence the more fatigue at follow-up. Only short-term consequences of bullying were investigated and victims reported different psychological symptoms and a lower physiological stress response. Gender differences in health effects were focused on specifically and reported for exposure to nasty teasing. The results are discussed and different explanations are suggested.     Victims of bullying and nasty teasing reported lower support from co-workers. Victims of bullying, nasty teasing, and violence reported lower support from supervisors and more conflicts and quarrels than non-exposed. In addition, male victims of nasty teasing also reported more role-conflicts and role-ambiguity, and female victims reported more role-conflicts. Victims of bullying reported a higher level of negative affectivity and victims of violence a weaker sense of coherence than non-exposed. Conflicts and quarrels acted as a partial mediator of the relationships between violence and long-term fatigue and between nasty teasing and long-term mental health problems in men. Low social support from supervisor acted as a partial mediator between exposure to bullying and health outcomes. Low social support from co-workers acted as a partial mediator between nasty teasing and mental health problems in men and between exposure to bullying and somatisation. Sense of coherence acted as a mediator of the relationships between violence and different stress-reactions. Negative affectivity acted as a partial mediator between being bullied and different health effects.      Thus, the longitudinal studies showed that exposure to nasty teasing predicted fatigue in women five years later independently of age, fatigue at baseline, role conflicts, social climate at work, education, job and social class and nasty teasing at follow-up. Exposure to violence predicted fatigue five years later independently of age, gender, and fatigue at baseline, social climate at work and social class and violence at follow-up. The more exposure to violence the more fatigue was reported five years later. In a cross-sectional study, bullying was associated with psychological and somatic health effects and a lower physical stress response independently of age, gender, social climate and negative affectivity.      The three types of aggression: bullying, nasty teasing and violence at work seem to have much in common with regard to social climate at work, personal dispositions, the tendency of repeated exposure and the serious consequences on the victims' health and well being.     In conclusion the results of the present thesis show that a substantial number of employees reports exposure to different forms of aggression that may have serious short- and long-term impact on their health and well-being as well as a strong risk of recurrent exposure. Thus, it is very important to initiate research projects that aim at the prevention and management of both exposure to and consequences of physical and psychological aggression.

M3 - Book

SN - 978-3-639-17635-3

BT - Aggression at Work

PB - VDM Verlag Dr. Müller Aktiengesellschaft & C o. KG

CY - Saarbrücken

ER -