Citation

Niven K, Sprigg CA, Armitage CJ, Satchwell A. J. Occup. Organ. Psychol. 2013; 86(1): 67-84.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2013, Wiley-Blackwell)

DOI

10.1111/j.2044-8325.2012.02066.x

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

In this article, we investigate the impact of engaging in ruminative-style thoughts after exposure to workplace violence. Rumination is a form of self-focused thinking characterized by abstract and passive negative thoughts. In an experimental study in which student volunteers were exposed to simulated violence using a video manipulation, the unpleasant affect of participants instructed to ruminate about the violence persisted, while the affect of participants in a distraction condition was quickly repaired. In a field study of violence experienced by social workers in their everyday working lives, employees who had a high tendency to engage in ruminative thinking exhibited a stronger negative relationship between exposure to violence and poor well-being and health complaints compared with those who had a low tendency to ruminate. Together, our findings suggest that ruminative thinking may exacerbate the negative effects of workplace violence. Practitioner Points * Being subjected to violence at work can have negative implications for employees' health and well-being, but it is not always possible for organizations to prevent violent attacks (e.g., from members of the public). * Our findings indicate that the negative consequences of violence may be intensified when the victim engages in rumination, a negative type of thinking about the self that involves passive, abstract thoughts about what happened and the effects on one's life. * Organizations should therefore seek to discourage ruminative thinking among victims of workplace violence.

Language: en