Teacher Well-Being Under Threat: The Consequences of Workplace Bullying from Preschool to Higher Education

Workplace bullying can be defined as the repeated occurrence of aggressive behaviour by one or more persons in a position of power towards the victim. This phenomenon remains insufficiently researched among education professionals, especially between different levels of education. With this in mind,...

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Main Authors: António Portelada, Adelinda Candeias, Ana Lúcia João
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2024-10-01
Series:Education Sciences
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/14/11/1175
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author António Portelada
Adelinda Candeias
Ana Lúcia João
author_facet António Portelada
Adelinda Candeias
Ana Lúcia João
author_sort António Portelada
collection DOAJ
description Workplace bullying can be defined as the repeated occurrence of aggressive behaviour by one or more persons in a position of power towards the victim. This phenomenon remains insufficiently researched among education professionals, especially between different levels of education. With this in mind, the present study aims to assess and characterise this phenomenon in the Portuguese teacher population, as well as its consequences. A digital questionnaire was used for the study, which includes a socio-demographic component and two scales, namely the LIPT-60 scale and the WBMMS scale. The questionnaire was published online and made accessible to all teachers employed in schools in Portugal. The final sample consisted of 2003 teachers. The obtained results revealed that 22.5% of the sample acknowledged experiencing workplace bullying. The most prevalent aggressive behaviours included communication blockage and defamation and disregard for work. Vertical descent emerged as the most common form of bullying. More than half of the victims reported experiencing health issues, with a quarter of them requiring a medical certificate. Finally, we would like to emphasize the significance of this study as an initial step towards the prevention and reduction of workplace bullying among Portuguese teachers.
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spelling doaj-art-7ddfef0adb4a4e39b3e91103045e49162025-08-20T02:08:15ZengMDPI AGEducation Sciences2227-71022024-10-011411117510.3390/educsci14111175Teacher Well-Being Under Threat: The Consequences of Workplace Bullying from Preschool to Higher EducationAntónio Portelada0Adelinda Candeias1Ana Lúcia João2School of Education, Santarém Polytechnic University, 2001-902 Santarém, PortugalComprehensive Health Research Center (CHRC), 7000-849 Évora, PortugalComprehensive Health Research Center (CHRC), 7000-849 Évora, PortugalWorkplace bullying can be defined as the repeated occurrence of aggressive behaviour by one or more persons in a position of power towards the victim. This phenomenon remains insufficiently researched among education professionals, especially between different levels of education. With this in mind, the present study aims to assess and characterise this phenomenon in the Portuguese teacher population, as well as its consequences. A digital questionnaire was used for the study, which includes a socio-demographic component and two scales, namely the LIPT-60 scale and the WBMMS scale. The questionnaire was published online and made accessible to all teachers employed in schools in Portugal. The final sample consisted of 2003 teachers. The obtained results revealed that 22.5% of the sample acknowledged experiencing workplace bullying. The most prevalent aggressive behaviours included communication blockage and defamation and disregard for work. Vertical descent emerged as the most common form of bullying. More than half of the victims reported experiencing health issues, with a quarter of them requiring a medical certificate. Finally, we would like to emphasize the significance of this study as an initial step towards the prevention and reduction of workplace bullying among Portuguese teachers.https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/14/11/1175workplace bullyingpsychological well-beinghealthteachers
spellingShingle António Portelada
Adelinda Candeias
Ana Lúcia João
Teacher Well-Being Under Threat: The Consequences of Workplace Bullying from Preschool to Higher Education
Education Sciences
workplace bullying
psychological well-being
health
teachers
title Teacher Well-Being Under Threat: The Consequences of Workplace Bullying from Preschool to Higher Education
title_full Teacher Well-Being Under Threat: The Consequences of Workplace Bullying from Preschool to Higher Education
title_fullStr Teacher Well-Being Under Threat: The Consequences of Workplace Bullying from Preschool to Higher Education
title_full_unstemmed Teacher Well-Being Under Threat: The Consequences of Workplace Bullying from Preschool to Higher Education
title_short Teacher Well-Being Under Threat: The Consequences of Workplace Bullying from Preschool to Higher Education
title_sort teacher well being under threat the consequences of workplace bullying from preschool to higher education
topic workplace bullying
psychological well-being
health
teachers
url https://www.mdpi.com/2227-7102/14/11/1175
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