O9
LONGITUDINAL RISK AND PROTECTIVE FACTORS OF BULLYING AND HARASSMENT IN THE CONTEMPORARY WORKPLACE: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS
- Triantafillopoulos, King’s College London, UK
Workplace bullying and harassment occur globally and have detrimental effects on workers’ productivity, health, and well-being(1). Research has identified a range of individual and organisational factors that may increase the risk of bullying at work(2). Although previous systematic reviews have synthesised these antecedents, many focus narrowly on specific predictors or combine cross-sectional and longitudinal evidence, limiting conclusions about temporal ordering(3). This systematic review and meta analysis synthesises longitudinal evidence of potential risk or protective factors assessed prior to bullying or harassment at work.
We searched five electronic databases for articles published since 2015 that examined antecedents and bullying or harassment. We synthesised correlation coefficients using random-effects meta-analysis.
Sixty-five studies met inclusion criteria. Pooled results indicate that workers with earlier experiences of bullying either in childhood or the workplace are more likely to experience workplace bullying later on. Similarly, workplace bullying was more likely to be experienced by those with prior psychological distress, working in negative organisational climates, or in jobs with high demands, low control, or role ambiguity. Positive leadership and supportive relationships at work were associated with lower likelihood of later workplace bullying.
Overall, our findings show that aspects of the work environment, as well as individual experiences and attributes, may place some workers at increased risk of experiencing bullying, while supportive professional relationships may act protectively. This suggests that workplace strategies that both foster positive relationships and consider individual vulnerabilities in the workplace could more effectively address bullying and reduce its impact on workers, organisations, and society.
References:
(1) Boudrias V, Trépanier SG, Salin D. A systematic review of research on the longitudinal consequences of workplace bullying and the mechanisms involved. Aggress Violent Behav. 2021 Jan;56:101508.
(2) Nielsen MB, Einarsen SV. What we know, what we do not know, and what we should and could have known about workplace bullying: An overview of the literature and agenda for future research. Aggress Violent Behav. 2018 Sep;42:71–83.
(3) Feijó FR, Gräf DD, Pearce N, Fassa AG. Risk Factors for Workplace Bullying: A Systematic Review. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 May 31;16(11):1945.
