Reknes et al. (2019) investigated whether the internal and external locus of control moderates the relationship between workplace bullying and mental health. Workplace bullying remains one of the main stressors impacting targeted victims. According to Reknes et al., previous studies have addressed the bullying-mental health relationship, but little is known on whom these negative behaviors impact the most. Mistreatment in the workplace impacts everyone in the organization, and those targeted either face repeated bullying over time or have no power to fight back. Initial bullying, as noted by Reknes et al., is slow with minimal intensity. As bullying gradually increases, its intensity also increases, targeting the victim's work situation or personal integrity. However, Reknes et al. agree that different people react differently when faced with workplace bullying cases. As such, literature on the stressor-strain relationship and its impact on health is undecisive. Reknes et al. sought to explain when and how workplace bullying influences the life and well-being of targeted employees through the lens of internal and external locus of control.
Data from 1474 Russian employees were collected and analyzed through questionnaire surveys, encompassing all the organizations' levels. Reknes et al. used both the Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised (NAQ-R) and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12) to measure the exposure to bullying behaviors, psychological strain, and locus of control, both internal and external. Reknes et al. utilized the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) and Mplus 7.4 to perform structural equation modeling (SEM). The results were classified in fit indices measured by root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA), Tucker-Lewis Index (TLI), and Comparative Fit Index (CFI).
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According to Reknes et al., the Mplus model yielded the best-fit indices of RMSEA = 0.05, CFI = 0.95, and TLI = 0.95 when testing the psychological strain. On the other hand, the GHQ-12 scale also recorded best fit indices of RMSEA = 0.05, CFI = 0.95, and TLI = 0.95. Reknes et al. further tested the relationship between exposure to workplace bullying, psychological strain, and locus of control. The test yielded a 7% variance in psychological strain, indicating a relationship between the three variables. Reknes et al. note that those participants who recorded the highest scores on internal locus of control exhibited the strongest relationship between bullying and psychological strain than those with low scores. Conclusively, Reknes et al. predicted that victims with higher scores of an external locus of control are less affected when exposed to bullying compared to those with low scores of an external locus of control. Simultaneously, those exhibiting higher scores of an internal locus of control are more affected than those with a low internal locus of control scores when exposed to significant workplace bullying levels.
Ultimately, Reknes et al. acknowledge the theoretical implications their present study suggested regarding the locus of control. For instance, each individual's characteristics should be considered when formulating empirical research models as people exhibit different behaviors when exposed to bullying. Moreover, the use of cross-sectional data prohibits further conclusive explanations that could only be derived from longitudinal studies. According to Reknes et al., the study encompassed more female workers than male, creating a small margin of biasness in responses.
Reference
Reknes, I., Visockaite, G., Liefooghe, A., Lovakov, A., & Einarsen, S. V. (2019). Locus of control moderates the relationship between exposure to bullying behaviors and psychological strain. Frontiers in Psychology , 10 . https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.01323
