title: [Associations between workplace bullying, harassment, and stress reactions of professional caregivers at welfare facilities for the elderly in Japan].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of this study was to describe workplace bullying experienced by professional caregivers at welfare facilities for the elderly in Japan and to confirm its effects on stress reactions.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional survey was carried out using self-administered questionnaires in 2009 of all the employees working in rural area of facilities for long-term care. Among the 1,233 respondents who filled out all questionnaires concerning stress reactions the Japanese version of the Negative Acts Questionnaire (NAQ) (response rate: 63.9%), we analyzed 897 professional caregivers. We measured stress reactions by using the stress reaction scores of the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire (29 items) and workplace bullying and harassment by using NAQ. We used the unpaired t-test and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to compare crude and adjusted average stress reactions with groups classified on the basis of each subscale of the NAQ or all of them.
  
  
  RESULTS
  About 40% of both men and women suffered from "malicious gossip" and over 60% of both men and women experienced "someone withholding necessary information so that their work gets complicated". Among women, scores of the lack of vigor and fatigue were significantly higher in caregivers targeted by person-related bullying than those not targeted (p<0.05). Scores of depression were significantly higher in caregivers targeted by work-related bullying than those not targeted (p<0.05). Scores of anxiety were significantly higher among caregivers targeted by sexual harassment than those not targeted (p<0.05). Among men, scores of the lack of vigor were significantly lower in caregivers targeted by work-related bullying than those not targeted (p<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among women, workplace bullying or harassment could may aggravate effects on psychological stress responses. While among men, work-related bullying was positively associated with vigor.
authors.affiliation: Department of Welfare System and Health Science, Okayama Prefectural University, Okayama, Japan. taniguti@fhw.oka-pu.ac.jp
authors.forename: Toshiyo
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Taniguchi
authors.forename: Jiro
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Takaki
authors.forename: Kaori
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Harano
authors.forename: Kumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hirokawa
authors.forename: Kazumi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Etsuko
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fukuoka
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D058445:Bullying / Q000523:psychology*; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009735:Nursing Homes; D016272:Occupational Health; D012737:Sex Factors; D012919:Social Behavior; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017132:Workplace / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D055815:Young Adult