Mobbing, or bullying in the workplace, has gained relevance in recent decades due to its growing magnitude and negative effects on workers’ health. There are various approaches for studying the issue. However, thus far the evidence is scarce in Latin America and is focused on specific samples. This study aims to analyze workplace bullying and its association with mental health in the wage-earning population and to determine the extent to which this association is modified by gender. A survey was conducted with a sample of 1,995 male and female salaried workers in Chile’s three main metropolitan areas (Greater Santiago, Greater Valparaíso, and Greater Concepción) with three-stage random selection (blocks, households, and individuals). Prevalence rates for depressive symptoms, use of psychotropic medication, and stress were 10.9%, 12.8%, and 13%, respectively, and there was a strong relationship between mental health variables and workplace bullying, which persisted in the adjusted models. When comparing this association in the models stratified by gender, no significant differences were observed between men and women.
Keywords:
Workplace Violence; Mental Health; Occupational Health