Measuring exposure to bullying at work: The validity and advantages of the latent class cluster approach

Abstract

This paper addresses the construct and predictive validity of two methods for classifying respondents as victims of workplace bullying. Although bullying is conceived as a complex phenomenon, the dominant method used in bullying surveys, the operational classification method, only distinguishes two groups: victims versus non-victims. Hence, the complex nature of workplace bullying may not be accounted for. Therefore a latent class cluster approach is suggested to model the data, which was obtained by using the Negative Acts Questionnaire (NAQ) administered to employees in Belgium (n=6,175). Latent class modelling is a method of analysis that does not appear to have been used in occupational health psychology before. In this study, six latent classes emerged: “not bullied,” “limited work criticism,” “limited negative encounters,” “sometimes bullied,” “work related bullied,” and “victims.” The results show that compared to the traditional operational classification method, the latent class cluster approach shows higher construct and higher predictive validity with respect to self-assessments and indicators of strain and well-being at work. The consequences of these results for theory, future research, and practice are discussed.

Keywords:

• Workplace bullying
• work-related stress
• latent class analysis
• operational classification
• validity
• strain
• well-being

Notes

1. Belgian law defines bullying at work as comprising “any illegitimate and recurrent behaviour, within or outside an enterprise or institution, than can manifest itself in the form of behaviour, verbal aggression, threats, gestures and unilateral writings. It is aimed at, or has as a consequence, that the personality, the dignity or the physical or psychological integrity of an employee (or any other person to whom the law can be applied) is harmed during labour, that his position is jeopardized or that an atmosphere is created that can be labelled as threatening, hostile, offensive, or humiliating.” (Translation by the present authors of the definition in the law of 11 June 2002, concerning protection against violence, bullying, and sexual harassment. [Wet van 11 juni 2002 betreffende de bescherming tegen geweld, pesterijen en ongewenst seksueel gedrag op het werk]).