Authors: Morten Birkeland Nielsen Marianne Skogbrott Birkeland Marianne Bang Hansen Stein Knardahl Trond Heir
Publish Date: 2017/02/04
Volume: 90, Issue: 5, Pages: 411-421
Abstract
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 nonbullied colleagues and 2 that PTSS provides an increased risk of subsequent victimization from bullyingThe hypotheses were tested in a twowave 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 attackHypothesis 1 was partially supported victims of bullying reported significantly higher levels of PTSS than nonbullied 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 laterThe 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 longterm 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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