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Victimization from workplace bullying after a traumatic event: time-lagged relationships with symptoms of posttraumatic stress

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Abstract

Objective

This study examined relationships between victimization from bullying and symptoms of posttraumatic stress (PTSS) after exposure to a terror attack at the workplace. It was hypothesized that (1) victims of bullying report higher and more stable levels of PTSS over time compared to their non-bullied colleagues and (2) that PTSS provides an increased risk of subsequent victimization from bullying.

Methods

The hypotheses were tested in a two-wave prospective sample comprising 2337 employees from Norwegian governmental ministries who were exposed to the 2011 Oslo terror attack. The two waves of data collection were conducted 10 and 22 months after the terror attack.

Results

Hypothesis 1 was partially supported: victims of bullying reported significantly higher levels of PTSS than non-bullied employees at both measurement points, but bullying was not related to the stability in PTSS over time. In support of hypothesis 2, PTSS at 10 months was significantly associated with an increased risk of feeling victimized by bullying 1 year later.

Conclusions

The results indicate that victimization from bullying is associated with elevated levels of PTSS in the aftermath of a workplace terror attack, but that bullying does not have any impact on the long-term development of PTSS. PTSS may be a potential antecedent of bullying. These findings suggest that organizations must give high priority to the psychosocial work environment of traumatized employees to prevent further detrimental health consequences.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the participating governmental departments and employees for their willingness to participate.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. National Institute of Occupational Health, Pb 8149 Dep, 0033, Oslo, Norway

    Morten Birkeland Nielsen & Stein Knardahl

  2. Department of Psychosocial Science, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway

    Morten Birkeland Nielsen

  3. Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Stress Studies, Oslo, Norway

    Marianne Skogbrott Birkeland, Marianne Bang Hansen & Trond Heir

  4. Institute of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway

    Trond Heir

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  1. Morten Birkeland Nielsen
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  2. Marianne Skogbrott Birkeland
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  3. Marianne Bang Hansen
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  4. Stein Knardahl
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Correspondence to Morten Birkeland Nielsen.

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Nielsen, M.B., Birkeland, M.S., Hansen, M.B. et al. Victimization from workplace bullying after a traumatic event: time-lagged relationships with symptoms of posttraumatic stress. Int Arch Occup Environ Health 90, 411–421 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-017-1204-4

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-017-1204-4

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