Investigating the Impact of Organizational Bullying on Employee’s Mental Health

Background and Purpose: Workplace bullying has become a common and significant problem in modern workplaces that can cause severe harm to employees and organizations. This study investigated the impact of organizational bullying on the mental health of Bojnourd Municipality employees in Bojnourd Cit...

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Main Authors: Hosein Faraji, Hamed KHorasaniToroghi, Vahid Mirzaei
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Mazandaran University of Medical Sciences 2025-05-01
Series:علوم بهداشتی ایران
Subjects:
Online Access:http://jhs.mazums.ac.ir/article-1-1012-en.pdf
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author Hosein Faraji
Hamed KHorasaniToroghi
Vahid Mirzaei
author_facet Hosein Faraji
Hamed KHorasaniToroghi
Vahid Mirzaei
author_sort Hosein Faraji
collection DOAJ
description Background and Purpose: Workplace bullying has become a common and significant problem in modern workplaces that can cause severe harm to employees and organizations. This study investigated the impact of organizational bullying on the mental health of Bojnourd Municipality employees in Bojnourd City, Iran, focusing on its effects on anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, and social functioning. Materials and Methods: This research is descriptive-correlational. The statistical population includes employees of Bojnourd Municipality in 2024 with at least 10 years of work experience who have encountered organizational bullying during their services. According to statistics, the total number of employees was 370. Of these, 188 individuals were selected as the sample size through simple random sampling using the Cochran formula. Data were collected using the organizational bullying questionnaire by Leymann, which includes 45 types of bullying behaviors. This questionnaire consists of five dimensions: behaviors threatening communication, behaviors threatening social relationships, behaviors threatening personal reputation, behaviors threatening job position, and behaviors threatening physical health. We also used the mental health questionnaire by Goldberg and Hillier. It includes 28 questions across four subscales: anxiety and insomnia, depression, social dysfunction, and physical symptoms. Data analysis was conducted using correlation tests and structural equation modeling (SEM) with SPSS software, version 22 and PLS software, version 3. Results: Organizational bullying had a significant impact on anxiety and sleep disorders (β=0.809, P<0.05), depression (β=0.675, P<0.05), physical reactions (β=0.606, P<0.05) and social functioning (β=0.647, P<0.05). Conclusion: This study emphasizes the negative consequences of organizational bullying and the necessity of addressing it, examining its impact on employees’ mental well-being. It also highlights the importance of prevention, secure reporting, professional ethics training, and psychological support.
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spelling doaj-art-be54ecdbcae949cf81b239ebcbd0f1952025-08-20T02:43:39ZengMazandaran University of Medical Sciencesعلوم بهداشتی ایران2322-553X2981-22402025-05-01132145154Investigating the Impact of Organizational Bullying on Employee’s Mental HealthHosein Faraji0Hamed KHorasaniToroghi1Vahid Mirzaei2 Department of Management, Faculty of Humanities, Bojnourd Branch, Islamic Azad University, Bojnourd, Iran. Department of Management, Faculty of Humanities, Bojnourd Branch, Islamic Azad University, Bojnourd, Iran. Department of Management, Faculty of Humanities, Bojnourd Branch, Islamic Azad University, Bojnourd, Iran. Background and Purpose: Workplace bullying has become a common and significant problem in modern workplaces that can cause severe harm to employees and organizations. This study investigated the impact of organizational bullying on the mental health of Bojnourd Municipality employees in Bojnourd City, Iran, focusing on its effects on anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, and social functioning. Materials and Methods: This research is descriptive-correlational. The statistical population includes employees of Bojnourd Municipality in 2024 with at least 10 years of work experience who have encountered organizational bullying during their services. According to statistics, the total number of employees was 370. Of these, 188 individuals were selected as the sample size through simple random sampling using the Cochran formula. Data were collected using the organizational bullying questionnaire by Leymann, which includes 45 types of bullying behaviors. This questionnaire consists of five dimensions: behaviors threatening communication, behaviors threatening social relationships, behaviors threatening personal reputation, behaviors threatening job position, and behaviors threatening physical health. We also used the mental health questionnaire by Goldberg and Hillier. It includes 28 questions across four subscales: anxiety and insomnia, depression, social dysfunction, and physical symptoms. Data analysis was conducted using correlation tests and structural equation modeling (SEM) with SPSS software, version 22 and PLS software, version 3. Results: Organizational bullying had a significant impact on anxiety and sleep disorders (β=0.809, P<0.05), depression (β=0.675, P<0.05), physical reactions (β=0.606, P<0.05) and social functioning (β=0.647, P<0.05). Conclusion: This study emphasizes the negative consequences of organizational bullying and the necessity of addressing it, examining its impact on employees’ mental well-being. It also highlights the importance of prevention, secure reporting, professional ethics training, and psychological support.http://jhs.mazums.ac.ir/article-1-1012-en.pdforganizational bullyingmental healthdepressionphysical reactionssocial functioning
spellingShingle Hosein Faraji
Hamed KHorasaniToroghi
Vahid Mirzaei
Investigating the Impact of Organizational Bullying on Employee’s Mental Health
علوم بهداشتی ایران
organizational bullying
mental health
depression
physical reactions
social functioning
title Investigating the Impact of Organizational Bullying on Employee’s Mental Health
title_full Investigating the Impact of Organizational Bullying on Employee’s Mental Health
title_fullStr Investigating the Impact of Organizational Bullying on Employee’s Mental Health
title_full_unstemmed Investigating the Impact of Organizational Bullying on Employee’s Mental Health
title_short Investigating the Impact of Organizational Bullying on Employee’s Mental Health
title_sort investigating the impact of organizational bullying on employee s mental health
topic organizational bullying
mental health
depression
physical reactions
social functioning
url http://jhs.mazums.ac.ir/article-1-1012-en.pdf
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