TY  - JOUR
PY  - 2014//
TI  - Workplace bullying and depressive symptoms: A prospective study among junior physicians in Germany
JO  - Journal of psychosomatic research
A1  - Loerbroks, Adrian
A1  - Weigl, Matthias
A1  - Li, Jian
A1  - Glaser, Jürgen
A1  - Degen, Christiane
A1  - Angerer, Peter
SP  - 168
EP  - 172
VL  - 78
IS  - 2
N2  - OBJECTIVE: The relationship between workplace bullying and depression may be bi-directional. Furthermore, it has been suggested that the depressogenic effect of bullying may only become evident after reasonable periods of follow-up (i.e., >1year). As prospective evidence remains sparse and inconsistent, we used data from a three-wave prospective study to disentangle this potentially bi-directional relationship. <br><br>METHODS: In 2004, 621 junior hospital physicians participated in a survey and were followed-up 1.2years and 2.8years later. Prospective analyses were restricted to participants with complete data at all assessments (n=507 or 82%). To measure workplace bullying, a description of bullying at work was provided followed by an item inquiring whether the respondent felt she/he had been exposed. Depressive symptoms were assessed by the state scale of the German Spielberger's State-Trait Depression Scales. <br><br>RESULTS: Multivariate linear regression suggested that workplace bullying at baseline predicted increased depressive symptoms both after 1year (b=1.43, p=0.01) and after 3years of follow-up (b=1.58, p=0.01). Multivariate Poisson regression models revealed that the depressive symptom z-score at baseline was associated with an increased risk of bullying at the 3-year follow-up (relative risk [RR]=1.49, 95% confidence interval [CI]=1.13-1.97). This association was less pronounced after 1year of follow-up (RR=1.19, 95% CI=0.90-1.59). <br><br>CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests bi-directional associations between depressive symptoms and victimization from bullying at the workplace. Future prospective studies are needed to examine underlying biopsychosocial mechanisms.<p /> <p>Language: en</p>
LA  - en
SN  - 0022-3999
UR  - http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2014.10.008
ID  - ref1
ER  -