Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, UK.
Department of Psychology, Faculty of Economics, Administrative and Social Sciences, Bahcesehir University, Istanbul 34353, Türkiye.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2024 Jan 26;21(2):137. doi: 10.3390/ijerph21020137.
According to the World Health Organisation, there are globally 40 million individuals with bipolar disorder (BD), and they experience stigma and discrimination, as many people with mental illness do. Work bullying (WB) is a common organisational problem, deteriorating the well-being and performance of employees and organisations. Although WB experiences have been researched for over three decades, we do not know much about the experiences of this group and what they need to extend their work-life. The current research aims to understand the workplace bullying experiences of individuals with BD and factors that may foster or hinder their participation in the labour force. The research methodology was based on in-depth interviews with 19 employees diagnosed with BD. Bullying experiences were mapped onto the Negative Acts Questionnaire. The data were analysed using the deductive qualitative content analysis on MAXQDA. Results showed that individuals with BD were exposed to bullying in work settings. Perceived reasons for the negative behaviours were mainly the undesirable individual characteristics of the bully, prejudices toward bipolar disorder, and already-existing toxic behaviours within the organisation. To reduce bullying, participants suggested that, among others, top management include equal and fair treatment of disadvantaged employees as performance criteria for supervisors and that organisations provide training against bullying, investigate complaints, apply sanctions, and establish an inclusive environment. If organisations set a stable and enduring vision, enhance a common identity for all employees, work on team building, and emphasise team efforts and goals, the organisational environment would be more inclusive, and individuals with BD would have longer work lives.
根据世界卫生组织的数据，全球有 4000 万人患有双相情感障碍（BD），他们像许多精神病患者一样，经历着污名化和歧视。工作欺凌（WB）是一个常见的组织问题，它会恶化员工和组织的幸福感和绩效。尽管 WB 经历已经被研究了三十多年，但我们对这一群体的经历以及他们需要什么来延长工作寿命知之甚少。目前的研究旨在了解患有 BD 的个体的工作场所欺凌经历，以及可能促进或阻碍他们参与劳动力的因素。该研究方法基于对 19 名被诊断患有 BD 的员工的深入访谈。欺凌经历被映射到负面行为问卷上。数据使用 MAXQDA 进行了演绎定性内容分析。结果表明，BD 患者在工作环境中受到欺凌。负面行为的感知原因主要是欺凌者的不良个人特征、对双相情感障碍的偏见，以及组织内已经存在的有毒行为。为了减少欺凌，参与者建议，除其他外，高层管理人员将平等和公平对待处境不利的员工纳入主管的绩效标准，组织提供反欺凌培训，调查投诉，实施制裁，并建立一个包容的环境。如果组织设定了稳定和持久的愿景，增强所有员工的共同身份，致力于团队建设，并强调团队努力和目标，组织环境将更加包容，BD 患者的工作寿命将更长。
