Bullying in the workplace may increase risk of heart attacks

PEOPLE who are bullied at work have an increased risk of heart attacks, a new study has found.

Research found that those who experience violence in the workplace are also subject to the risk, which includes an increased likelihood of strokes and other cardiovascular problems.

The authors of the study, which is published in the European Heart Journal and is the largest ever to investigate such a link, said that their findings could have important implications for employers and national governments.

Tianwei Xu, a PHD student at the University of Copenhagen who led the study, said a possible decrease could be achieved if action was taken on the report’s findings.

“If there is a causal link between bullying or violence at work and cardiovascular disease, then the removal of bullying could avoid five per cent of all cardiovascular cases, and removing violence would avoid more than three per cent of all cases,” she said.

The researchers looked at data from 79,201 working men and women in Denmark and Sweden, aged 18 to 65, who were participants in three studies that started between 1995 and 2011 and have been followed up ever since.

Participants were asked about bullying and violence in the workplace and how frequently they experienced each. Nine per cent reported being bullied while 13 per cent reported experiencing violence or threats in the past year.

After taking account of other contributing factors, researchers found that those who were bullied or experienced violence at work had a 59 per cent and 25 per cent higher risk of cardiovascular disease respectively.

They said the link could be explained by high blood pressure or an increased likelihood of anxiety and depression.