Disadattamento lavorativo : allontanamento e distacco come unica soluzione? : primi risultati di uno studio di follow-up

Although a host of research on workplace bullying has been conducted in the last few years, longitudinal studies on occupational and long-term health endpoints are scarce. The aim of the study is to investigate current occupational and health conditions of a sample of patients examined in 2003 (n=226), for which a bullying-related disorder was diagnosed. Ninety-one subjects, out of 100 contacted, answered a semi-structured telephone interview. Of the sample, 54,9% were women, with a mean age of 50 years old; 47,3% declared they remained in the same workplace, of which 66,7% reported an improvement in their working conditions. More than half was moved from prior position, 31% within the same office/department, 23,8% to other branches of the company. Among total cases 22% resigned on a voluntary basis, 17,6% retired, 11% were dismissed; 23,1% have found another job, the majority declaring their working conditions improved. In summary, six years after clinical examination, three subjects out of four reported that harassment ceased following job change, resulting in a general improvement in health conditions and quality of life. This indicates that health impairment is highly contextual. Preventive interventions are recommended to avoid leaving the workplace to be the only solution to recover.