Sense of coherence as a protective mechanism among targets of workplace bullying

Abstract

The present study investigated sense of coherence (SOC) as a protective factor among targets of workplace bullying. A hypothesis that strong SOC lessens the relationship between exposure to bullying and symptoms of posttraumatic stress was tested in a cross-sectional sample of 221 self-labeled targets of workplace bullying. The findings showed that SOC offers most protective benefits to targets exposed to low levels of bullying, whereas the benefits of SOC diminish as bullying becomes more severe. The results support previous findings that workplace bullying is a traumatic experience for those exposed to it, regardless of the target's available coping resources.