Recent studies on the consequences of mobbing describe the links between depression and workplace bulling. A last study, directed by a professor of the Master’s Degree in Occupational Health and Safety, analyses this relation between workers that assist people with intellectual disabilities.
6 june 2016
Mobbing is a labour problem that directly impacts on mental health and the well-being of workers. In recent decades the awareness on workplace bullying has considerably risen, as well as the advances in occupational health and safety.
The Unit of Psychosocial Research on Organisational Behaviour of the Universitat de València (UNIPSICO) has carried out a study to determine the influence of mobbing in depression symptoms on a group of 372 workers that work with people with intellectual disability.
Mobbing is a very powerful risk factor to cause depression symptoms
This study joins the research studies that have already been carried out in the last years and that confirm the consequences of workplace bullying. The direct relation between the deterioration of labour health and the problem of mobbing has taken place in the following study cases.
- In 2011, it was carried out in Denmark a test with 1,900 workers. When those who suffer from mobbing were detected, it was observed that they were more vulnerable in light of the risk of suffering depression symptoms (Hansen et al. 2011).
- In 2010, the behaviour analysis of 2,600 workers in Japan also indicated that mobbing effects are associated to the risk of depression (Takaki et al. 2010).
- In 2009, the strong relation between mobbing and health problems, somatic illnesses, anxiety, insomnia or depression was reaffirmed (Morán et al. 2009).
- In 2006, a job carried out in France concluded that mobbing is a powerful risk factor that may cause depression symptoms (Niedhamer et al. 2006).
The victims of workplace bullying have a bigger risk of suffering mental illnesses in the long run
The research carried out by UNIPSICO, directed by the head and professor of the Master’s Degree in Occupational Health and Safety, Pedro Gil-Monte, shows once again that workers that had suffered mobbing manifested significant levels of depression symptoms in comparison with the groups of participants that did not experienced mobbing.
To do so, different groups of participants have been analysed in different periods of time in which the frequency of bullying behaviour has been observed. The study has determined that after ending with the mobbing situation, there are long-term consequences, so victims are left in a vulnerability state more prone to suffer psychological illnesses.
Depression is the main bullying consequence, a serious health problem that causes millions of losses each year in the firms where there are mobbing cases. Likewise, it triggers other labour setbacks such as absenteeism, which also has a direct repercussion in the productivity of employees and employers.
