Abstract

Objective: While an individual has both material and spiritual gains at workplace s/he might also be strained because of different stress factors. In some cases, tension results from mobbing. In the present study, it is aimed to identify the mediator role of depression on the relationship between mobbing at workplace and life satisfaction of health professionals.

Method: Two hundred and forty-four health personnel who have been working for at least 6 months at the hospitals of a medium-sized city in the middle part of Turkey were given Negative Actions Questionnaire (NAQ), Back Depression Inventory (BDI) and Life Satisfaction Scale (LSS). Data were analyzed by using t-test, one-way ANOVA, Pearson Correlation Analysis, simple and multiple linear regression analysis.

Results: At the first step of the analysis in the mediator role of depression on the relationship between exposure to mobbing and life satisfaction, it was found that exposure to mobbing significantly predicted a negative relation to life satisfaction, and that it significantly predicted a positive relation to depression. Moreover, it was observed that depression significantly predicted life satisfaction and that depression has partly mediated the relationship between mobbing and life satisfaction. This result shows that mobbing, both directly and indirectly through depression has negative effect on life satisfaction.

Conclusion: Exposure to mobbing at workplace among health professionals leads depression and, this results in negative evaluation of one’s life quality. If we consider this result with respect to the individual and health service, we can argue that individual’s life satisfaction decreases, his/her job performance declines, and the person feels boredom and reluctance to his/her job, and efficiency of the health institution decreases. Thus, seminars can be organized to increase the awareness of the victim, other workers and manager related to the problem of mobbing and victims can be acquired skills to cope with mobbing.

Key words: Mobbing, depression, life satisfaction