Workplace Bullying Experience Predicts Same-Day Affective Rumination but Not Next Morning Mood: Results from a Moderated Mediation Analysis Based on a One-Week Daily Diary Study

Abstract

The link between workplace bullying and impaired employee psychological health is well established. Insights into the role of cognitive processes in reaction to stressful events, as well as personality traits in this relationship, remain scarce. In this study, we investigated moderated mediation models that link workplace bullying with employee well-being and mood. The study employs both cross-sectional and longitudinal methodologies within the same group of employees with workplace bullying experience (n = 59). Results from a cross-sectional survey show that affective rumination fully mediates the link between workplace bullying and employee well-being. Contrarily, findings from a daily diary study indicate that day-to-day variations in bullying experiences do not affect the subsequent morning mood. Thus, workplace bullying primarily acts through affective ruminative thinking rather than having a direct effect, especially on individuals low in neuroticism. These insights contribute to a more comprehensive understanding of the relevance of repetitive cognitive processes and personality traits as mechanisms that link workplace bullying with psychological well-being. Implications include the need for a better understanding of the accumulation processes of persistent ruminative thought and the relevance of stressor pile-up to explain spillover effects into the next day in order to understand long-term health impairment.