Resilience as a Moderator of the Effects of Workplace Bullying on Psychological Distress and Sleep Quality Among Information Technology Professionals

TL;DR

This study shows how workplace bullying affects mental health and sleep quality among IT workers, and how resilience can help reduce these negative effects.

Contribution

The study introduces resilience as a moderator in the relationship between workplace bullying, psychological distress, and sleep quality.

Findings

Workplace bullying significantly increases psychological distress and reduces sleep quality.

Psychological distress partially mediates the effect of bullying on sleep quality.

Resilience weakens the negative impact of distress on sleep, supporting a conditional mediation model.

Abstract

Public health relevance—How does this work relate to a public health issue?
Workplace bullying is identified as a significant psychosocial hazard that elevates psychological distress and disrupts sleep, an essential public health outcome.This study identifies how psychological distress links workplace bullying to impaired sleep quality among employees.

Workplace bullying is identified as a significant psychosocial hazard that elevates psychological distress and disrupts sleep, an essential public health outcome.

This study identifies how psychological distress links workplace bullying to impaired sleep quality among employees.

Public health significance—Why is this work of significance to public health?
Highlights the mental health consequences of hostile work environments, an under-addressed public health issue in rapidly expanding digital economies.Demonstrates the protective role of resilience and offers insight into preventive mental health strategies.

Highlights the mental health consequences of hostile work environments, an under-addressed public health issue in rapidly expanding digital economies.

Demonstrates the protective role of resilience and offers insight into preventive mental health strategies.

Public health implications—What are the key implications or messages for practitioners, policy makers and/or researchers in public health?
Organizations should implement anti-bullying policies and mental health support systems to reduce distress and improve employee sleep health.Public health practitioners and policymakers can use these findings to design resilience-building programs that enhance employee well-being in high-stress sectors such as Information Technology.

Organizations should implement anti-bullying policies and mental health support systems to reduce distress and improve employee sleep health.

Public health practitioners and policymakers can use these findings to design resilience-building programs that enhance employee well-being in high-stress sectors such as Information Technology.

Grounded in the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, this study investigates the impact of workplace bullying on the psychological and physical well-being of Information Technology (IT) professionals in five major metropolitan cities in India (Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Pune, and Mumbai). Specifically, it examines how workplace bullying increases psychological distress and how this distress subsequently impairs sleep quality, along with the moderating role of resilience in this relationship. Data were collected from 380 Information Technology employees using a structured online questionnaire through a Stratified simple random sampling technique. The sample consisted of full-time IT professionals across various age groups, job levels, and work arrangements. The hypothesized relationships were tested using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). Results show that workplace bullying significantly elevates psychological distress and reduces sleep quality. Psychological distress partially mediates the effect of bullying on sleep, while resilience weakens the negative impact of distress on sleep, confirming a conditional mediation model. Theoretically, this study advances COR theory by demonstrating how personal resources such as resilience buffer the loss spirals associated with workplace stressors. Practically, the findings highlight the need for IT organizations to strengthen resilience-building initiatives and implement targeted interventions to reduce bullying and protect employee well-being.

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