Workplace Bullying as a Predictor of Disability Retirement: A Prospective Registry Study of Norwegian Employees

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine 1) whether bullying is
related to all-cause disability retirement, 2) whether bullying contributes to the
variancein disability retirement above highjob demands andlack ofjob control,
and 3)to establish gender differencesin the relationship.Methods: Survey data
from 14,501 Norwegian employees on exposure factors linked to registry data
on all-cause disability retirement. Results: Bullying significantly predicted
risk of disability retirement (hazard ratio¼ 1.55; 95% confidence interval¼ 1.13 to 2.12). This relationship remained statistically significant after
adjusting for job demands and lack of job control. Women had the highest risk
of disability, but both bullied men and women had a higher risk of disability
than nonbullied employees of the same gender. Conclusion: Bullying is a risk
factor for disability retirement. Measures taken to prevent bullying may be
beneficial for reducing both health problems and disability retirement.