TY - JOUR

T1 - Workplace bullying and risk of suicide and suicide attempts

T2 - A register-based prospective cohort study of 98 330 participants in Denmark

AU - Conway, Paul Maurice

AU - Erlangsen, Annette

AU - Grynderup, Matias Brødsgaard

AU - Clausen, Thomas

AU - Rugulies, Reiner

AU - Bjorner, Jakob Bue

AU - Burr, Hermann

AU - Francioli, Laura

AU - Garde, Anne Helene

AU - Hansen, Åse Marie

AU - Hanson, Linda Magnusson

AU - Kirchheiner-Rasmussen, Jonas

AU - Kristensen, Tage S

AU - Mikkelsen, Eva Gemzøe

AU - Stenager, Elsebeth

AU - Thorsen, Sannie Vester

AU - Villadsen, Ebbe

AU - Høgh, Annie

PY - 2022

Y1 - 2022

N2 - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to analyze whether individuals reporting exposure to workplace bullying had a higher risk of suicidal behavior, including both suicide attempt and death by suicide, than those not reporting such exposure.METHODS: Using a prospective cohort study design, we linked data from nine Danish questionnaire-based surveys (2004-2014) to national registers up to 31 December 2016. Exposure to workplace bullying was measured by a single item. Suicide attempts were identified in hospital registers and death by suicide in the Cause of Death Register. Among participants with no previous suicide attempts, we estimated hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI), adjusting for sex, age, marital status, socioeconomic status, and history of psychiatric morbidity.RESULTS: The sample consisted of 98 330 participants (713 798 person-years), 63.6% were women, and the mean age was 44.5 years. Of these participants, 10 259 (10.4%) reported workplace bullying. During a mean follow-up of 7.3 years, we observed 184 cases of suicidal behavior, including 145 suicide attempts, 35 deaths by suicide and 4 cases that died by suicide after surviving a suicide attempt. The fully-adjusted HR for the association between workplace bullying and suicidal behavior was 1.65 (95% CI 1.06-2.58). The HR for suicide attempts and death by suicide were 1.65 (1.09-2.50) and 2.08 (0.82-5.27), respectively. Analyses stratified by sex showed a statistically significant association between workplace bullying and suicidal behavior among men but not women.CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that exposure to workplace bullying is associated with an elevated risk of suicidal behavior among men.

AB - OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to analyze whether individuals reporting exposure to workplace bullying had a higher risk of suicidal behavior, including both suicide attempt and death by suicide, than those not reporting such exposure.METHODS: Using a prospective cohort study design, we linked data from nine Danish questionnaire-based surveys (2004-2014) to national registers up to 31 December 2016. Exposure to workplace bullying was measured by a single item. Suicide attempts were identified in hospital registers and death by suicide in the Cause of Death Register. Among participants with no previous suicide attempts, we estimated hazard ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI), adjusting for sex, age, marital status, socioeconomic status, and history of psychiatric morbidity.RESULTS: The sample consisted of 98 330 participants (713 798 person-years), 63.6% were women, and the mean age was 44.5 years. Of these participants, 10 259 (10.4%) reported workplace bullying. During a mean follow-up of 7.3 years, we observed 184 cases of suicidal behavior, including 145 suicide attempts, 35 deaths by suicide and 4 cases that died by suicide after surviving a suicide attempt. The fully-adjusted HR for the association between workplace bullying and suicidal behavior was 1.65 (95% CI 1.06-2.58). The HR for suicide attempts and death by suicide were 1.65 (1.09-2.50) and 2.08 (0.82-5.27), respectively. Analyses stratified by sex showed a statistically significant association between workplace bullying and suicidal behavior among men but not women.CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that exposure to workplace bullying is associated with an elevated risk of suicidal behavior among men.

U2 - 10.5271/sjweh.4034

DO - 10.5271/sjweh.4034

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 35648097

VL - 48

SP - 425

EP - 434

JO - Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health

JF - Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health

SN - 0355-3140

IS - 6

ER -