title: [Workplace bullying and sickness absenteeism].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess the relationship between workplace bullying and sickness absenteeism in a large sample of Italian workers.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional study conducted by means of questionnaires.
  
  
  METHODS
  In all, 8,992 subjects filled in a questionnaire to detect workplace bullying, the presence of work stress factors and days of sickness absence in the last year.
  
  
  METHODS
  Workplace bullying and psychosocial stressor were measured by the means of the CDL 2.0 questionnaire.
  
  
  METHODS
  Days of sickness absence reported by the subjects.
  
  
  RESULTS
  On average, days of sickness absence were 7.4, and 7.2% of the respondents were defined as bullied. Results from logistic regression analyses showed that a workplace bullying was associated with more days of sickness absence after controlling for gender, age, professional qualification, company sector and juridical nature and other psychosocial factors (men: OR =1.62; women: OR =2.15).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The present study confirms that workers exposed to a workplace bullying reported higher sickness absenteeism as compared with non-exposed subjects, also when a potentially highly stressful work environment is considered. The results of the present study support that workplace bullying may be viewed as an extreme stressful condition. Interventions to avoid workplace bullying not only favoure workers' health, but also avoid the company costs associated with workers' sickness absenteeism.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Scienze Cliniche e di Comunità, Università degli studi di Milano. paolo.campanini@unimi.it
authors.forename: Paolo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Campanini
authors.forename: Paul Maurice
authors.initials: PM
authors.lastname: Conway
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Neri
authors.forename: Silvia
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Punzi
authors.forename: Donatella
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Camerino
authors.forename: Giovanni
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Costa
mesh_terms: D058445:Bullying / Q000523:psychology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D016272:Occupational Health; D018582:Sick Leave / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology* / Q000523:psychology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017132:Workplace / Q000523:psychology