Short‐term effects of exposure to workplace bullying on objective sleep: an actigraphy diary study

TL;DR

Workplace bullying leads to worse sleep quality, with increased awakenings and anxiety acting as a mediator.

Contribution

This study provides new evidence linking workplace bullying to objective sleep disturbances using actigraphy.

Findings

Workplace bullying is directly associated with increased wake-after-sleep onset and fewer awakenings.

Anxiety mediates the relationship between bullying and sleep duration and wake-after-sleep onset.

The study highlights the negative impact of workplace bullying on objective sleep quality.

Abstract

Exposure to bullying behaviours has been associated with a variety of negative health outcomes, such as sleep complaints. However, the current state of the knowledge is limited regarding the association with objective sleep. The present study investigated the short‐term effects of workplace bullying on objective sleep patterns using an actigraphy diary approach. Participants (N = 55) wore actigraphy devices for 10 days to measure sleep parameters such as duration, wake‐after‐sleep onset (WASO), and the number of awakenings. Multilevel analyses showed that exposure to workplace bullying was directly associated with the three parameters of sleep disturbances, with higher levels of bullying linked to poorer sleep outcomes. Anxiety was also found to mediate this relationship. Specifically, anxiety mediated the association between bullying and WASO and sleep duration. The study contributes valuable insights into the detrimental impact of workplace bullying on objective sleep quality, highlighting the importance of addressing psychosocial stressors in the workplace to promote healthy sleep patterns.