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Nobody likes to dominate, intimidate colleagues or threaten situations at work – especially when these situations lead to violence.
But could these toxic workplaces really cause heart attacks?
New research shows that victims of workplace bullying and violence are more likely to suffer from heart problems, including heart attacks, heart disease and stroke. This does not necessarily mean that bullying (or even violence) directly causes cardiovascular problems, but the study shows a "strong" association between bullying and these heart-related problems, said the authors in a press release.
Yet, a link of cause and effect is very possible.
"If there is a causal link between bullying or workplace violence and cardiovascular disease, eliminating bullying in the workplace would mean we could avoid 5% of all cardiovascular cases and that the eradication of workplace violence would prevent more than 3% of all cases. case, "Tianwei Xu researcher from the University of Copenhagen, the author of the study, said in a statement.
Published this week in the European Heart Journal, the study analyzed nearly 80,000 Swedish and Danish adult workers who participated in three long-term studies. None of them have ever had a history of cardiovascular disease and participants' experiences of bullying and workplace violence have been followed for years.
According to researchers, 9% of workers reported that their colleagues were harassing them, while 13% reported having been the victim of violence – or threats of violence – at work in the previous year.
Workers who were bullied had a 59% higher risk of cardiovascular disease, and victims of violence or threats of violence, at a 25% higher risk, researchers said. And more intimidation and violence meant an even greater risk of heart problems – workers being bullied daily have a higher risk of cardiovascular problems by 120%.
Researchers tracked alcohol use, smoking habits, mental health problems, health status and body mass index of workers to ensure that these other factors were not responsible for the increased risk of smoking. heart attack and other heart problems.
Xu warned about associating intimidation too intimately with physical violence or the threat of physical violence.
"Intimidation at work and workplace violence are distinct social stressors at work," Xu said. "Only 10-14% of people exposed to at least one type of exposure were suffering from each other at the same time."
The study reveals that situations of workplace violence are generally (in 91% of cases) caused by strangers, rather than by colleagues. But bullying usually comes from colleagues, with 79% reporting being bullied at the workplace from their colleagues rather than from the outside.
The researchers said that bullying and violence increased the risk of heart problems to an extent comparable to the increased risk of diabetes and alcohol.
According to researchers, it is possible that high blood pressure – caused by severe stress – is the cause. Overeating and over-consumption of alcohol caused by work-related anxiety and depression is another factor. But researchers are still studying the exact link between bullying, violence and heart problems, they said.
"It is important to prevent workplace bullying and workplace violence, as they are major stressors for exposed people," said Xu. "It is also important to have intervention policies in case of bullying or violence."
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