Last in, first out? Length of service as a moderator of the relationship between exposure to bullying behaviors and work-related outcomes

In the present study, we proposed and tested a conceptual model of length of service in the organization as a moderator of the relationship between exposure to workplace bullying behaviors and turnover intention, as mediated through job dissatisfaction. Specifically, based on the conservation of resources theory and organizational socialization research, we hypothesized that bullying exposure would be more detrimental to employees relatively new to the organization, and less so to those with a long length of service. We employed a probability sample from the Norwegian workforce (N = 1003), with data collected at two time-points separated by six months. In line with previous research, we found that exposure to workplace bullying behaviors predicts increased levels of stability-adjusted turnover intentions, and, that job dissatisfaction mediates this association. Moreover, the mediation effect was dependent on length of service, such that it only was present at average (50th percentile; 8.5 years) and short employment length (16th percentile; 2.5 years), and was significantly stronger for the latter group. Additionally, a Johnson-Neyman test of significance regions revealed that the moderation effect became non-significant at the 69th percentile (14.6 years of length of service) in the present sample. This indicates that while short length of service represents a risk condition for work-related outcomes of bullying exposure, long length of service may represent a resource relating to individual resilience that accumulates over long time-spans.

Leadership Ostracism Behaviors From the Target's Perspective: A Content and Behavioral Typology Model Derived From Interviews With Chinese Employees

Leadership ostracism denotes a severe work stressor, potentially entailing more serious negative effects than other types of workplace ostracism. However, scholars have paid relatively little attention to ostracism carried out by leaders, leaving the phenomenon insufficiently accounted for in the literature. Hence, the present study aims to explore the content and typology of leadership ostracism behavior by in-depth interviews and inductive analyses based on grounded theory, in order to give a thorough presentation and description of the leadership ostracism concept as perceived and construed by Chinese subordinates. Respondents were invited using a snowball sampling technique, and the final sample consisted of 26 individuals employed in different Chinese firms. Based on the reported experience of the interviewees, 11 concrete leadership ostracism behaviors emerged from the data. Further analyses revealed a leadership ostracism behavioral typology model reflecting five core categories, i.e., general ignoring, neglect, exclusion, differential treatment, and undermining. These findings appear to partly replicate and partly expand on previous conceptualizations of workplace ostracism, indicating that leadership ostracism may reflect a distinct variant of the phenomenon, eligible to be studied in its own right. The present study also discusses certain culture-specific aspects of leadership ostracism that can be taken into consideration in future studies.

Gender differences in the relationship between workplace bullying and subjective back and neck pain: A two-wave study in a Norwegian probability sample

OBJECTIVE

The association between exposure to bullying at work and subsequent pain reports is relatively well-established, but few studies have examined possible moderators of this relationship. As gender is a known risk factor for pain, with women reporting pain levels of higher intensity and longer duration, a possible gender difference in the relationship between bullying and pain has been suggested, but not sufficiently tested. The objective of the present study was therefore to examine whether gender moderates the prospective relationship between exposure to workplace bullying behaviours and subsequent subjective back and neck pain.

METHODS

A national probability sample of Norwegian workers (N=1003) was collected at two time points with a six-month time-lag. Assumptions were tested using regression and moderation analyses.

RESULTS

Exposure to bullying behaviours was associated with increased reports of subjective back and neck pain over time, and this relationship was moderated by gender. However, the interaction took a different form than expected, with back and neck pain increasing in response to bullying among men only, to a degree that nullified the baseline gender difference.

CONCLUSION

The assumption that being female is a vulnerability factor for the development of pain in the aftermath of psychosocial stressors such as bullying was contradicted in the present study. Instead, women's relatively high baseline pain levels remain stable over time even after exposure to workplace bullying, while men's relatively low baseline pain levels increase in response to bullying, ultimately becoming tangent to the pain reported by women.

Invasive group A, C and G streptococcal disease in western Norway: virulence gene profiles, clinical features and outcomes

Invasive group A streptococcal (iGAS) disease is endemic in Norway, but data on invasive group C and group G streptococcal (iGCS/GGS) disease are lacking. We investigated the characteristics of iGAS and iGCS/GGS infections in western Norway from March 2006 to February 2009. Clinical information was retrospectively obtained from medical records. GAS and GCS/GGS isolates were emm typed and screened for the presence of 11 superantigen (SAg) genes and the gene encoding streptococcal phospholipase A₂ (SlaA). GCS/GGS isolates were also subjected to PCR with primers targeting speG(dys) . Sixty iGAS and 50 iGCS/GGS cases were identified, corresponding to mean annual incidence rates of 5.0 per 100,000 and 4.1 per 100,000 inhabitants, respectively. Skin and soft tissue infections were the most frequent clinical manifestations of both iGAS and iGCS/GGS disease, and 14 iGAS patients (23%) developed necrotizing fasciitis. The 30-day case fatality rates of iGAS and iGCS/GGS disease were 10% and 2%, respectively. emm1, emm3 and emm28 accounted for 53% of the GAS isolates, and these types were associated with severe clinical outcome. SAg gene and SlaA profiles were conserved within most of the GAS emm types, although five profiles were obtained within isolates of emm28. stG643 was the most prevalent GCS/GGS emm type, and speG(dys) was identified in 73% of the GCS/GGS isolates. Neither GAS SAg genes nor SlaA were detected in GCS/GGS. Our findings indicate a considerable burden of both iGAS and iGCS/GGS disease and a high frequency of necrotizing fasciitis caused by GAS in our community.

Antipsychotic drugs activate SREBP-regulated expression of lipid biosynthetic genes in cultured human glioma cells: a novel mechanism of action?

Several studies have reported on structural abnormalities, decreased myelination and oligodendrocyte dysfunction in post-mortem brains from schizophrenic patients. Glia-derived cholesterol is essential for both myelination and synaptogenesis in the CNS. Lipogenesis and myelin synthesis are thus interesting etiological candidate targets in schizophrenia. Using a microarray approach, we here demonstrate that the antipsychotic drugs clozapine and haloperidol upregulate several genes involved in cholesterol and fatty acid biosynthesis in cultured human glioma cells, including HMGCR (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase), HMGCS1 (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A synthase-1), FASN (fatty acid synthase) and SCD (stearoyl-CoA desaturase). The changes in gene expression were followed by enhanced HMGCR-enzyme activity and elevated cellular levels of cholesterol and triglycerides. The upregulated genes are all known to be controlled by the sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP) transcription factors. We show that clozapine and haloperidol both activate the SREBP system. The antipsychotic-induced SREBP-mediated increase in glial cell lipogenesis could represent a novel mechanism of action, and may also be relevant for the metabolic side effects of antipsychotics.