Abstract
Objectives
To estimate the prevalence of bullying and to identify risk groups in a representative population sample.
Methods
The data for this study was taken from the second Danish Psychosocial Work Environment Study (DPWES). The sample consisted of 3,429 employees between 20 and 59-years. The response rate for the study was 60.4%.
Results
The study showed that 8.3% of the respondents had been bullied within the past year, 1.6% of the sample reported daily to weekly bullying. Co-workers (71.5%) and managers/supervisors (32.4%) were most often reported as perpetrators of bullying, but bullying from subordinates (6%) was also reported. We found significant differences in the prevalence of bullying for both occupational status and work process, a variable characterizing the employees main task in their job. Unskilled workers reported the highest prevalence of bullying, while managers/supervisors the lowest prevalence. People working with things (male-dominated occupations) and people working with clients/patients (female-dominated occupations) reported higher prevalence of bullying than people working with symbols or customers. No significant gender or age differences were found.
Conclusions
These findings suggest that types of work and gender ratio are risk factors in the onset of workplace bullying. Future studies should take into account the type of work and the gender ratio of the organization.
References
Agervold M, Mikkelsen EG (2004) Relationships between bullying, psychosocial work environment and individual stress reactions. Work Stress 8:336–351. doi:10.1080/02678370412331319794
Björkqvist K, Österman K, Hjelt-Bäck M (1994) Aggression among university employees. Aggress Behav 20:173–184. doi :10.1002/1098-2337(1994)20:3 ≤ 173::AID-AB2480200304 ≥ 3.0.CO;2-D
Cowie H, Jennifer D, Neto C, Angulo JC, Pereira B, Del Barrio C, et al. Sheehan, M.; Ramsey, S.; Patrick, J. (2000) Comparing the nature of workplace bullying in two European countries: Portugal and UK. Transcending boundaries: integrating people, processes and systems, Brisbane, 6-9-2000
Dansk fagkode (The Danish job classification) (1986) The Directorate of Labour, Copenhagen. på NFA
Dansk Branchekode (2003) DB03 Danish Industrial Classification of All Economic Activities 2003 (in danish). Danmarks Statistik (Statistics Denmark), Copenhagen 2002. på NFA
Einarsen S (1996) Bullying and harassment at work: epidemiological and psychosocial aspects. University of Bergen, Afhandlingen haves.
Einarsen S (2000) Harassment and bullying at work: a review of the Scandinavian approach. Aggress Violent Behav 5:379–401. doi:10.1016/S1359-1789(98)00043-3
Einarsen S, Raknes BI (1997) Harassment in the workplace and the victimization of men. Violence Vict 12:247–263
Einarsen S, Skogstad A (1996) Bullying at work: epidemiological findings in public and private organizations. Eur Work Organ Psychol 5:185–201. doi:10.1080/13594329608414854
Einarsen S, Zapf D (2003) Individual antecedents of bullying: victims and perpetrators. In: Einarsen S, Hoel H, Zapf D, Cooper CL (eds) Bullying and emotional abuse in the workplace. international perspectives in research and practice.. Taylor & Francis, London, pp 165–184
Einarsen S, Hoel H, Zapf D, Cooper CL (2003) The concept of bullying at work: the European tradition. In: Einarsen S, Hoel H, Zapf D, Cooper CL (eds) Bullying and emotional abuse in the workplace. international perspectives in research and practice. Taylor & Francis, London, pp 3–30.
Feveile H, Olsen O, Hogh A (2007) A randomized trial of mailed questionnaires versus telephone interviews: response patterns in a survey. BMC Med Res Methodol 7:27. doi:10.1186/1471-2288-7-27
Hoel H, Cooper CL (2000) Destructive conflict and bullying at work. University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, Manchester
Hoel H, Cooper CL, Faragher B (2001) The experience of bullying in Great Britain: the impact of organizational status. Eur Work Organ Psychol 10:443–465. doi:10.1080/13594320143000780
Hoel H, Einarsen S, Keashley L, Zapf D, Cooper CL (2003) Bullying at work. The way forward. In: Einarsen S, Hoel H, Zapf D, Cooper CL (eds) Bullying and emotional abuse in the workplace. International perspectives in research and practice. Taylor & Francis, London, pp 412–416
Hofstede G (1980) Cultures consequences: international differences in work related values. Sage, Newbury Park
Hofstede G (1991) Cultures and organzations: software of the mind. McGraw-Hill, London
Hogh A, Dofradottir A (2001) Coping with bullying in the workplace. Eur Work Organ Psycho 10:485–495. doi:10.1080/13594320143000825
Hubert AB, van Veldhoven M (2001) Risk sectors for undesirable behaviour and mobbing. Eur Work Organ Psychol 10:415–424. doi:10.1080/13594320143000799
Leymann H (1992) Vuxenmobbning på svenska arbetsplatser. Stockholm: Arbetarskyddsstyrelsen; Report No.: 1. kopi
Leymann H (1996) The content and development of mobbing at work. Eur Work Organ Psychol 5:165–184. doi:10.1080/13594329608414853
Mikkelsen EG, Einarsen S (2001) Bullying in Danish work-life: prevalence and health correlates. Eur Work Organ Psychol 10:393–413. doi:10.1080/13594320143000816
Moayed FA, Daraiseh N, Shell R, Salem S (2006) Workplace bullying: a systematic review of risk factors and outcomes. Theor Issues Ergon Sci 7:311–327. doi:10.1080/14639220500090604
Niedhammer I, David S, Degioanni S (2007) Economic activities and occupations at high risk for workplace bullying: results from a large-scale cross-sectional survey in the general working population in France. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 80:346–353. doi:10.1007/s00420-006-0139-y
Niedl K (1996) Mobbing and well-being: economic and personnel development implications. Eur Work Organ Psychol 5:239–249. doi:10.1080/13594329608414857
Quine L (1999) Workplace bullying in NHS trust: staff questionnaire survey. BMJ 318:228–232
Rayner C, Hoel H (1997) A summary review of literature relating to workplace bullying. J Community Appl Soc Psychol 7(3):181–191
Rayner C, Keashly L (2005) Bullying at work: a perspective from Britain and North America. In: Fox S, Spector PE Counterproductive work behavior. Investigations of actors and targets. American Psychological Association, Washington DC, pp 271–296
Rayner C, Hoel H, Cooper CL (2002) Workplace bullying. Taylor & Francis, London
Salin D (2001) Prevalence and forms of bullying among business professionals: a comparison of two different strategies for measuring bullying. Eur Work Organ Psychol 10:425–441. doi:10.1080/13594320143000771
Siemiatycki J, Campbell S, Richardson L, Aubert D (1984) Quality of response in different population groups in mail and telephone surveys. Am J Epidemiol 120:302–314
Thorsted BL (2007) Forskerbeskyttelse i CPR. Det 29. symposium i anvendt statistikÅrhus Universitet: Danmarks Statistik van der Zouwen, J. and de Leeuw, E. D. (1991) The relationship between mode of administration and quality of data in survey research. Bull Methodol Sociol 31:49–60
van der Zouwen J, de Leeuw ED (1991) The relationship between mode of administration and quality of data in survey research. Bull Methodol Sociol 31:49–60
Vartia M (1996) The sources of bullying—psychological work environment and organizational climate. Eur Work Organ Psychol 5:203–214. doi:10.1080/13594329608414855
Vartia M (2003) Workplace bullying—a study on the work environment, well-being and health. Finnish Institute of Occupational Health
Vartia M, Hyyti J (2002) Gender differences in workplace bullying among prison officers. Eur Work Organ Psychol 11(1):113–126. doi:10.1080/13594320143000870
Zapf D, Einarsen S (2005) Mobbing at work: escalated conflicts in organizations. In: Fox S, Spector PE Counterproductive work behavior. investigations of actors and targets. American Psychological Association, Washington DC, pp 237–270
Zapf D, Einarsen S, Hoel H, Vartia M (2003) Empirical findings on bullying in the workplace. In: Einarsen S, Hoel H, Zapf D, Cooper CL (eds) Bullying and emotional abuse in the workplace international perspectives in research and practice, 1st edn edn. Taylor and Francis, London, pp 103–126
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
An erratum to this article can be found at http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s00420-009-0409-6
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ortega, A., Høgh, A., Pejtersen, J.H. et al. Prevalence of workplace bullying and risk groups: a representative population study. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 82, 417–426 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-008-0339-8
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-008-0339-8