AIMS
This study aims to propose a classification of users' typology that contact an institutional neutral clearing post on bullying in Italy and to highlight how such a structure is an essential instrument to effectively intervene at every level of the relational disease process and psychological distress as well, or rather, primarily as a preventive measure . One purpose of this research is to test the
assupmtion that the number of users/patients in Italy who apply to health care facilities and/or trade union structures is underestimated at present compared to the real one and this for the particular user-targets who apply to those structures. An institutional clearing point created to increase public awareness in the phenomenon and to spread a socially shared vision on bullying concept, allows us to analyze all possible users of the center, being healthy or unhealthy, victims or just mere
bystanders of unknown events taking place around them. METHOD
Between 2007 and 2008, the research considers a sample of 39 individuals have referred to neutral clearing point not medical organized by the Municipality of Trieste, where everyone, together with professionals, could understand something about facts and events of their working life. The Center was a reference for all citizens and for each worker who feel only the need to have some
informations about bullying or a first and more specific assessment about their personal case. The target population were all workers of the Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia.
The method used was the quasi- experiment, with the adoption of a people-oriented design and a multidisciplinary approach through a qualitative assessment process of individual cases. The technique used was that of the individual in-depth interview combined with a semi-structured anonymous interview whose items was related to personal status, work situation, social life and perceived negative acts within workplace. Only 13 of 39 subjects drew up the NAQ -R in the Italian version of 22-items for a thorough study on bullying at work.
RESULTS
At the beginning, a series of connection analysis were performed between 8 dummy variables selected from the questionnaire to investigate the presence/absence of some bullying-related factors in the working life of the sample: work shift, discussing the problem with colleagues, sick leave, frequent absenteeism, individual coping strategy, alignment with corporate mission, excessive controls from management and recent changes in tasks and/or movement in office. Because of the reduced dimensions of sample (N = 39) it was used as inferential test that of chi-square corrected by the method of Fisher's exact test (F test) and the statistical likelihood ratio (LR) that gave significant results (p <. 05) for the indicators listed in the table.
To reduce the complexity of the model and identify a possible latent structure in order to combine the 8 variables in distinct and well-defined groups, an analysis was made of the categorical principal components ( CATPCA ) which showed as optimal a 3-components structure, namely, 3 groups of variables in which we could reduce all users' features. A first group has been defined in a phase of primary appraisal , simply distressed , and is formed by those people who perceived being
excessively controlled by chief or manager, do not find support in colleagues, have work shifts and easily consider as divergent their goals from those of their organization: this group explains the greatest amount of variance. A second group has been defined in a phase of individual coping characterized by voluntary absence from work both for health conditions and other reasons
( defense strategies towards organization) in the belief that they can be able to manage the dynamics of bullying only by their own efforts, and being able to cope with their own resources to negative stressors (false mastery). A third group of users has already reached an advanced stage of secondary appraisal in which has evaluated like ineffective any personal intervention of defense. These subjects turn outside the organization to get specialist assistance against bullying because of unwanted transfers and /or unwanted job changes, this latter most easier to enable a legal or contractual action in comparison with bullying in Italy: this group explains the lesser amount of variance. Furthermore, in 13 subjects who were administered the NAQ -R, the variable
self-assessment bullying was always above the average of the scale ( M = 4.31 ), which means a strong perception of all groups like victims of negative actions on the job. At last, this latter variable of self-reported bullying was subjected to an inferential test with factor scores of the 3-component model. The t-test was significant (p < .05 ) for the second group variables, those of frequent
absenteeism and coping strategies, meaning that this group characterized by people who try to resist the negative acts, has a wider perception of bullying compared to the third group, the one that includes the people who have decided to turn outside their organization for instance in medical centers for the recognition of physical injuries and psychological deseases become evident. CONCLUSIONS
Waiting for our hypothesis about an underestimation of prevalence rate on bullying in Italy to be confuted or conversely confirmed by further evidences, replicating this study on a broader number of users, we can only say that the current sample ( N = 39) is too small to be able to think of generalizing these findings, but sufficient great to generate an insight.
It is worth noting that even without a law statement dealing with bullying in workplace like in Italy, the social intervention offered by Public Local Authorities might be the most complete and effective anyway. Into a non-medical center the estimate of prevalence rate may be completely different compared to another presented by public or private health clinics as well as by trade unions. In fact, these structures probably understate the amount of potential victims not representing the whole working population but being a sample referred only to the third group we defined in our study: the third group users are those who usually applies to medical centers or trade unions offices after being transfer or moved from their office preferably or after being forced to change tasks or job. Despite all, this group accounts for only a third of potential users, namely, just the tip of the iceberg. Establishing institutional points of neutral support for workers gives us hope for the future to effectively prevent psychosocial risk and consequently improve work and life conditions. Bibliography
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