Between a rock and a hard place : a cross-sectional and longitudinal investigation of the psychosomatic consequenses of witnesses to workplace bullying

ABSTRACT This present study is a sub-project of the Danish research project Bullying and Harassment at work: Prevalence, Risk factors, Consequences, Prevention, and Rehabilitation 2006-2009 which is a prospective research project initiated by the Danish National Research Centre for the Working Environment. The data material originates from a comprehensive base-line and follow-up questionnaire administered in 2006 and in 2008. The purpose of this quantitative study was to assess the extent to which bullying at work would affect those who were not experiencing the direct impact of the bullying behaviour, but who reported to witness the bullying of others in their work unit. Both a cross-sectional and a longitudinal methodological approach were employed in order to investigate both the short- and long-term effects of witnessing bullying at work. In line with results obtained in previous cross-sectional studies, it was expected that the non-bullied witnesses to workplace bullying would experience elevated levels of stress, burnout, psychosomatic symptoms, and state negative affect, and lower levels of general health than a control group. Due to the prospective design of the Workplace Investigation, it was also possible to assess the potential long-term effects of being a witness to bullying at work by comparing those who reported to witness bullying at both T1 and T2 (i.e long-term witnesses) to a control group, previous witnesses, and new witnesses at T2. The results from the cross-sectional approach revealed that the self-declared witnesses to bullying in 2006 and in 2008 were significantly more affected with regards to all the respective measures than the control group in 2006 and in 2008. The longitudinal analysis, however, yielded both supportive and contradictive results in terms of the stated hypotheses

Childhood antecedents of Agreeableness: A longitudinal study from preschool to late adolescence

Although the consensus view is that Agreeableness originates from childhood difficultness and regulatory deficits, few studies have investigated such assumptions longitudinally. In this study, we examined this issue by assessing enduring and mediating effects of self-regulation as well as the impact of parenting behaviors on the development of Agreeableness from preschool to late adolescence. Longitudinal data from 965 Norwegian families following children from 1.5 years to 16.5 years were used. Path analyses revealed childhood difficultness at age 4 to be related to Agreeableness at age 16.5; this effect was mediated through emotion regulation in late childhood. However, such mediation effects were primarily found when parents used punitive practices towards their children. Our findings point to personality coherence throughout development

The role of ECEC teachers for the long-term social and academic adjustment of children with early externalizing difficulties: a prospective cohort study

Using data from more than 7000 children from the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child (MoBa) study, this study explored the role of school readiness and teacher–child closeness in the early child education and care (ECEC) setting for the prospective academic and social development of children with early externalizing problems. Mother, ECEC teachers, and schoolteacher ratings were applied. Latent moderated mediation analyses within a SEM framework were performed. Early externalizing problems at age three were associated with less school readiness at age five, but this association was weaker among children with closer teacher–child relationships. School readiness mediated the link from early externalizing problems to later academic and social adjustment difficulties, but this long-term indirect effect also decreased with increasing levels of teacher–child closeness. With regards to intervention efforts, the study demonstrates the potentially important role of ECEC teachers for the long-term social and academic adjustment of children with early externalizing problems

Comparing Bariatric Surgery Patients Who Desire, Have Undergone, or Have No Desire for Body Contouring Surgery: a 5-Year Prospective Study of Body Image and Mental Health

Abstract Purpose After bariatric surgery, body contouring surgery (BCS) is thought to improve body image, weight loss, and mental health. Many patients desire but do not undergo BCS after bariatric surgery. This patient subset has rarely been studied. The present study compares bariatric surgery patients that, at 5 years after surgery, desires, have undergone or have no desire for BCS regarding pre- and post-surgery body image and mental health, including within-group changes over time. Materials and Methods Data were collected from participants ( N  = 216) pre-bariatric surgery and at 1- and 5-year post-surgery. Health care providers measured body mass index (BMI). All other data were collected via self-report (questionnaires). Results At 5-year post-surgery, 30.6% had undergone BCS, 17.1% did not desire it, and 52.3% desired BCS. Patients who subsequently desired BCS scored lower on body satisfaction pre-surgery than the other groups. They also reported less resilience pre-surgery and more depressive symptoms at all times compared to participants with BCS. For five-year post-surgery, patients who desired BCS had lower body satisfaction levels than patients with BCS and were more bothered with excess skin relative to the two other groups. Body satisfaction improved in all three groups from baseline to five years and in most patients with BCS. Mental health improved only in patients with BCS. Conclusion This study emphasizes the relevance of identifying participants who desire but have not undergone BCS. The study suggests that BCS is associated with improved body image and mental health. Graphical abstrac

Associations between perceived somatic symptoms and mental health after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass: a 3-year prospective cohort study

Background Attention to and interpretation of symptoms are influenced by psychologic and contextual factors. Preoperative anxiety, and to some extent depression, has been found to predict the perceived impact of somatic symptoms 1 year after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Postoperative changes in negative affect may possibly both influence and be influenced by the perception of somatic symptoms. Objectives This study aimed to explore whether preoperative anxiety and depressive symptoms correlated with perceived impact of somatic symptoms 3 years after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Second, we aimed to examine the 3-year trajectory of depressive and anxiety symptoms, and their interaction with perceived somatic symptoms postoperatively. Setting University hospital. Methods Presurgery, 1-, and 3-year postsurgery data were collected from 169 participants (62.4% follow-up). Anxiety and depressive symptoms were assessed at all time points. The participants reported the degree of perceived impact of various somatic symptoms 1 and 3 years after surgery. A cross-lagged, autoregressive regression analysis was employed to examine the mutual interaction of trajectories over the follow-up period. Results Fatigue (30.8%) and dumping (23.7%) were common high-impact symptoms 3 years postoperatively. Higher baseline anxiety was associated with higher impact of fatigue, pain, and diarrhea, while depressive mood was related to higher impact of diarrhea at 3-year follow-up. Higher anxiety/depression symptoms were bidirectionally related to higher perceived total symptom impact at both 1 and 3 years postoperatively, controlling for percent total weight loss. Higher perceived impact of somatic symptom burden at 1 year after surgery predicted a significant increase in depressive symptoms the next 2 years. Conclusion Baseline anxiety was associated with higher perceived impact of several somatic symptoms 3 years after Roux-en-Y gastric bypass. Higher total symptom burden (pain, fatigue, dumping, diarrhea, and vomiting) at 1 year after surgery predicted increase in depression over the next 2 years. The results underscore the importance of managing somatic symptoms after surgery to prevent patients’ distress