Effect of workplace offensive behaviors on mental health in 35 countries in Europe

OBJECTIVES: This study estimated the prevalence of workplace offensive behaviors and their association with mental health conditions in terms of anxiety, fatigue, and sleep problems across 35 European countries. STUDY DESIGN: A multi-country cross-sectional study. METHODS: This study utilized data from the European Working Conditions survey, comprising 43,850 participants aged 15 years and older, with equal gender distribution. Anxiety and fatigue as mental health conditions were assessed using single items, and sleep problems were evaluated using two items. Workplace offensive behaviors were examined in terms of physical violence, sexual harassment, and bullying/harassment. Poisson regression models with a log link function were fitted to analyze the country-level association between offensive behaviors and mental health conditions, adjusting for covariates. Risk ratios (RRs) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were reported. Country level RRs were pooled to generate regional estimates through a two-stage meta-analysis. RESULTS: In the pooled data, the prevalence of workplace offensive behaviors was 4.2% for bullying/harassment, 1.7% for physical violence, and 0.8% for sexual harassment. Women reported a significantly higher prevalence of sexual harassment and bullying/harassment than men. Western and Nordic countries reported comparatively higher prevalence of these behaviors. In the pooled estimates, the exposure to any offensive behavior was associated with significantly increased risks of all mental health outcomes, with bullying/harassment showing the strongest associations (RR 3.09, 95% CIs 2.64-3.63) with anxiety with substantial heterogeneity between countries and the prediction interval of 1.41-6.79. CONCLUSION: Workplace offensive behavior in Europe disproportionately affects women. Its strong association with poor mental health necessitates holistic approaches, for addressing such mistreatments at work from individuals, reducing burdens, and rebuilding safer environments for all workforces.