
Workplace bullying associated with a higher risk of diabetes, says study
Being the victim of bullying or violence in the workplace could mean your risk of developing type 2 diabetes is up to 46 per cent higher, a study has said.
Around nine per cent of participants reported they had been bullied in the past year, and this group was more likely to develop diabetes later in life.
New research says bullying is a “severe social stressor”, and this has an impact on metabolism, appetite and weight in various ways that make diabetes more likely.
Understanding the wider health impacts of workplace stress is particularly important as a report earlier this year showed a third of UK workers are experiencing anxiety, depression or stress.
The study was led by researchers at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark and followed the health of 46,000 people aged 45 to 60 who were not initially diabetic.
Nine per cent reported bullying in the past year around 12 per cent said they experienced violence or threats, typically from people outside their organisation like customers or patients.
Bullying included a range of “unkind or negative behaviour from colleagues”, unfair criticism, humiliating work tasks and also feelings of isolation.
In follow-ups with these participants 1,223 went on to develop type 2 diabetes – this was a 46 per cent higher likelihood than the general population.
The study controlled for other factors that could impact diabetes risk, but statisticians said this “can never be perfect” so it was important to note this was one association in a complex field.
The study, published in the journal Diabetologia, pulled data from severa
Continue
reading