"Workplace Harassment Increases Worker Suicide Risk Up to 4 Times"

Workplace Bullying Raises Suicide Risk
Strong Link Found Even Among Workers Without Depression

Photo by Gangbuk Samsung Hospital

A study has revealed that workers who experience workplace bullying have an increased risk of suicide, and notably, there is a strong correlation between workplace bullying and suicide even among workers without depression.

On the 26th, a research team led by Professors Jeon Sang-won, Cho Sung-joon, and Kim Eun-soo from the Department of Psychiatry at Kangbuk Samsung Hospital, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, announced the results of a study comparing the association between workplace bullying and suicidal thoughts and attempts. The study targeted 12,541 Korean workers aged 19 to 65 who underwent health screenings at the Kangbuk Samsung Hospital Corporate Mental Health Research Institute between 2020 and 2022.

The research team assessed bullying status through self-reported questionnaires, categorizing participants into ▲ no bullying ▲ occasional bullying experience (once a month or less) ▲ frequent bullying experience (once a week or more, or daily). Suicide rates were investigated using self-reported questionnaires from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

As a result, compared to the 'no bullying' group, the 'occasional bullying experience' group showed a 1.47 times higher rate of suicidal thoughts and a 2.27 times higher rate of suicide attempts. The 'frequent bullying experience' group exhibited a 1.81 times higher rate of suicidal thoughts and a 4.43 times higher rate of suicide attempts. Particularly, suicidal impulses due to workplace bullying were significantly present regardless of the presence or absence of depression, suggesting that workplace bullying alone is strongly associated with suicide risk.

Professor Jeon Sang-won of the Department of Psychiatry emphasized, "Workplace bullying can threaten the lives of workers regardless of their occupation," adding, "The fact that workers without depression also show a high tendency toward suicide indicates that suicidal tendencies may not solely be an individual mental health issue, and it suggests the need for corporate and national systems to prevent workplace bullying."

Meanwhile, the results of this study were published in the international academic journal Scientific Reports.