The Relationships of Experiencing Workplace Bullying with Mental Health, Affective Commitment, and Job Satisfaction: Application of the Job Demands Control Model

Nicole M Steele,Gerard J Fogarty,Bryan Rodgers

doi:10.3390/ijerph17062151

Abstract

There have been very few theoretical models published to understand the relationship between workplace bullying and different outcome variables. Applying the Job Demands Control (JDC) model, this study analyzed workplace bullying alongside ‘traditional’ job stressors of role overload and low job control to determine the relative associations of each with mental health and wellbeing. These relative associations have not been well documented. Data were obtained from an organizational climate questionnaire administered to 21 Australian Defence Force units (n = 3193). Results indicated that the correlations between bullying and psychological distress (r = 0.39), job satisfaction (r = −0.28), and affective commitment (r = −0.22) were all significant and for some outcomes greater than those involving the traditional job stressors. Furthermore, for each of these three outcomes, bullying contributed incremental variance after controlling for other job demands. These results support earlier claims that workplace bullying requires the same attention given to traditional work stressors. The JDC model provides a strong theoretical base to investigate workplace bullying. Testing against other stressors allows for consideration of the broader context of workplace bullying when managing the workforce.

Highlights

Bullying is arguably one of the most pervasive stressors to be experienced at work [1,2,3]
Testing against other job stressors allows for consideration of the broader context of workplace bullying when developing workforce plans, strategies, and interventions
The second aim of this study was to determine the strength of the relationships of workplace bullying with psychological distress, affective commitment, and job satisfaction, after accounting for sex, age, role overload, and job control

Summary

Introduction

Bullying is arguably one of the most pervasive stressors to be experienced at work [1,2,3]. At its most basic level, workplace bullying is when unreasonable negative acts towards a person or group of people are both persistent and repeated, creating a risk to the health and safety of individuals [6]. A meta-analysis of studies conducted across almost 25 years reported that workplace bullying had positive associations with anxiety (r = 0.27), depression (r = 0.34), and post-traumatic stress symptoms (r = 0.37), and negative associations with job satisfaction (r = −0.22) and organizational commitment (r = −0.19) [7]. Exposure to workplace bullying has been shown to increase the risk of sickness absence (odds ratio 1.58, 95% CI 1.39–1.79) [9] and suicidal ideation (odds ratio 2.05, 95% CI 1.08–3.89) [10]

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Discussion

Conclusion