Association of Workplace Bullying and Workplace Vulnerability in the Psychological Distress of Chilean Workers

Elisa Ansoleaga, Magdalena Ahumada and Andrés González-Santa Cruz
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Elisa Ansoleaga: Faculty of Psychology, Diego Portales University, Santiago 7630103, Chile
Magdalena Ahumada: Institute of Public Health of Chile, Santiago 7780050, Chile
Andrés González-Santa Cruz: Faculty of Social Sciences and History, Diego Portales University, Santiago 8370127, Chile

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 20, 1-14

Abstract: Workplace bullying has been identified as a global problem because of its growing magnitude and the harmful effects in victims and organizations. Workplace vulnerability is a component of job precarious1ness that reflects insecurity, fear, and labor uncertainty. This paper aims to analyze the associations between the exposure to workplace vulnerability and psychological distress, and to explore the associations between exposure to workplace bullying and psychological distress, by sex. A cross-sectional and probabilistic survey was applied to a randomly-selected valid sample of 1995 salaried workers in three main metropolitan areas of Chile. Chi-square test and logistic regression models controlling for confounders were tested. Female workers were more exposed to workplace vulnerability and presented a higher prevalence of psychological distress. Among women who were vulnerable, one of three reported psychological distress (30.8%), which is higher than men (16.5%). Workers exposed to workplace vulnerability had a greater chance of workplace bullying, workers who perceived high workplace vulnerability had a greater chance of psychological distress, and workers exposed to workplace violence had a greater likelihood of psychological distress in comparison to those who were not exposed. Increasing employment security can reduce the perception of job vulnerability and help prevent the existence of workplace bullying. Additionally, occupational health protection policies should prevent, protect from, and intervene in workplace bullying as a precursor to mental health problems in Chile.

Keywords: workplace bullying; Chile; workplace vulnerability; psychological distress (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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