Investigating the Impact of Organizational Bullying on Employee’s Mental Health

Background and Purpose: Workplace bullying has become a common and significant problem in modern workplaces that can cause severe harm to employees and organizations. This study investigated the impact of organizational bullying on the mental health of Bojnourd Municipality employees in Bojnourd City, Iran, focusing on its effects on anxiety, depression, sleep disorders, and social functioning. Materials and Methods: This research is descriptive-correlational. The statistical population includes employees of Bojnourd Municipality in 2024 with at least 10 years of work experience who have encountered organizational bullying during their services. According to statistics, the total number of employees was 370. Of these, 188 individuals were selected as the sample size through simple random sampling using the Cochran formula. Data were collected using the organizational bullying questionnaire by Leymann, which includes 45 types of bullying behaviors. This questionnaire consists of five dimensions: behaviors threatening communication, behaviors threatening social relationships, behaviors threatening personal reputation, behaviors threatening job position, and behaviors threatening physical health. We also used the mental health questionnaire by Goldberg and Hillier. It includes 28 questions across four subscales: anxiety and insomnia, depression, social dysfunction, and physical symptoms. Data analysis was conducted using correlation tests and structural equation modeling (SEM) with SPSS software, version 22 and PLS software, version 3. Results: Organizational bullying had a significant impact on anxiety and sleep disorders (β=0.809, P<0.05), depression (β=0.675, P<0.05), physical reactions (β=0.606, P<0.05) and social functioning (β=0.647, P<0.05). Conclusion: This study emphasizes the negative consequences of organizational bullying and the necessity of addressing it, examining its impact on employees’ mental well-being. It also highlights the importance of prevention, secure reporting, professional ethics training, and psychological support.