The Impact of Workplace Bullying on Turnover Intention and Psychological Distress: The Indirect Role of Support from Supervisors

Abstract

Workplace bullying is characterized by negative, repetitive, and frequent behaviors towards a person, affecting his/her physical and mental health The present study aimed to assess the relationship between bullying, turnover intention, and psychological distress, considering the potential mediating effect of perceived supervisor support. A questionnaire was completed by 252 women and 172 men (n = 424) from 70 French companies and institutions. They were working in private (70%), public (28%), and parapublic (2%) sectors. Finally, 33 trades are represented in this study: commercial (21%), educational (12%), medical (8.3%), and industry (8.3%) were the most prominently represented. Regression analyses showed that bullying was significantly linked to turnover intention (ß = 0.52, p < 0.05) and psychological distress (ß = 0.78, p < 0.001). Moreover, supervisor support played a mediating role between workplace bullying and turnover intention, as well as between workplace bullying and psychological distress. The implications and perspectives of the present research were subsequently discussed.