Research has found that workplace bullying negatively affects not only the victims but also the sleep of their spouses. This confirmed that workplace bullying is a serious social issue that impacts the families of victims.
Researchers from the University of East Anglia in the United Kingdom and Comillas Pontifical University and University of Seville in Spain announced the results of a study analyzing the impact of workplace bullying on sleep on the 21st. The findings were published in the international academic journal 'Journal of Interpersonal Violence.'
The research team analyzed the effects of workplace bullying on sleep and the role of anger rumination in this process. Anger rumination refers to the repetitive and persistent recollection of stressful situations, such as bullying. To investigate this, they tracked 147 workers over five days and 139 couples over two months to evaluate the extent of exposure to workplace bullying, levels of work-related anger rumination, and severity of insomnia.
The study found that the effects of workplace bullying increased over time. It led to various sleep disorders, such as difficulty falling asleep (sleep onset problems), waking during the night (sleep maintenance problems), and waking early in the morning (early awakening). Anger rumination was found to exacerbate insomnia rather than help alleviate stress in this process.
Ana Sanz-Bergel, a professor at Norwich Business School, noted, 'Anger rumination may initially seem like a way to address problems or understand situations, but in reality, it can be a strategy that causes greater harm in the long run.'
The research team also confirmed the 'contagion effect,' where the insomnia of the victim's spouse worsens. If a spouse wakes up during the night, the other partner is likely to wake up as well, increasing the likelihood that both individuals will experience a lack of sleep. However, since sleep satisfaction is significantly influenced by personal subjective factors, the impact among spouses was found to be relatively less.
The research team emphasized the need for both organizational and individual interventions to address workplace bullying. Organically, it is important to reduce stressors and cultivate a healthy organizational culture, while individually, developing stress management skills and training to separate work and personal life are necessary.
Professor Sanz-Berhel stated, 'Learning how to disengage from work and tasks has been shown to be effective in reducing the impact of workplace bullying,' adding, 'If coping strategies are learned through prevention programs, they will ultimately contribute to reducing anger rumination and insomnia.'
References
Journal of Interpersonal Violence (2025), DOI : https://doi.org/10.1177/08862605251318291