 |
Health Impacts
Impact on Target's Health
A critical defining characteristic of workplace bullying, according to the WBI definition, is that it harms the health of the targeted individual. Health endangerment distinguishes bullying from routine office politics, teasing, roughhousing, prickliness, incivilities, and boorishness.
1. The WBI Health Symptoms List
The list is 33-item set of symptoms that survey respondents evaluated. The responses were analyzed in two ways. First, if the items were checked at all, and any or all of the items could be checked, the percentages of target-respondents who experienced each symptom were calculated.
a.) Overall Ranking of the Prevalence of Symptoms, most to least frequent
1. Anxiety, stress. excessive worry (76%)
2. Loss of concentration (71%)
3. Disrupted sleep (71%)
4. Feeling edgy, irritable, easily startled and constantly on guard (paranoia) (60%)
5. Stress headaches (55%)
6. Obsession over details at work (52%)
7. Recurrent memories, nightmares and flashbacks (49%)
8. Racing heart rate (48%)
9. Needing to avoid feelings, thoughts, and situations that remind you of trauma or a general emotional "flatness"(47%)
10. Body aches--muscles or joints (45%)
11. Exhaustion, leading to an inability to function (41%)
12. Compulsive behaviors (40%)
13. Diagnosed depression (39%)
14. Shame or embarrassment that led to dramatic changes in lifestyle (38%)
15. Significant weight change (loss or gain) (35%)
16. Chronic fatigue syndrome (35%)
17. Panic attacks (32%)
18. TMJ (jaw tightening/teeth grinding) (29%)
19. Skin changes, e.g., shingles, rashes, acne (28%)
20. Use of substances to cope: tobacco, alcohol, drugs, food (28%)
21. Asthma or allergies (27%)
22. Thinking about being violent towards others (25%)
23. Suicidal thoughts (25%)
24. Migraines (23%)
25. Irritable bowel syndrome (colitis) (23%)
26. Chest pains (23%)
27. Hair loss (21%) (Scroll down to continue reading)
28. Fibromyalgia--inflamed joints and connective tissue (19%)
29. High blood pressure/hypertension (18%)
30. Ulcers (11%)
31. Angina (11%)
32. Heart arythmia (5%)
33. Heart attack(s) (3%)
Source: Workplace Bullying Institute
|
|
|
|
