A Battle Within: Evaluating the Correlation Between Workplace Bullying and the Self-Awareness and Emotional Management among Female Healthcare Professionals in Punjab.

Abstract

Background: Workplace bullying affects many people by its negative consequences on employers' mental health, employment satisfaction, and performance outcomes. Female Health care workers in particular are quite vulnerable to bullying. Objectives: The aim of this study is to find the frequency of workplace bullying (WPB) and the correlation between workplace bullying and self-awareness among female healthcare professionals in Punjab. Method: A cross sectional research design and convenient sampling was used in this study to choose female healthcare workers working in Punjab and history of mental disorder and criminal record were excluded. Data was collected using open access validated E questionnaires that contained measures of workplace bullying by negative act questionnaire-revised and self-awareness and emotional management by National Health Services questionnaire. Demographic information was also collected. Pearson correlation coefficient was used to identify the links between workplace bullying, self-awareness, and emotional management. Results: Among the 447 participants, varying frequencies of work place bullying were reported female healthcare professionals in Punjab. The majority of respondents experienced workplace bullying "now and then," and a significant proportion reported weekly occurrences. The study revealed a moderate negative correlation between workplace bullying and self-awareness (r=-0.409), indicating that as bullying frequency increased, self-awareness decreased. Conclusion: The findings of this study demonstrate the significant impact of workplace bullying on self-awareness among female healthcare professionals in Punjab. The results underscore the need for interventions to address workplace bullying and create more respectful work environments for healthcare professionals. The study contributes to the existing literature on workplace bullying and emphasizes the importance of considering the psychological well-being of healthcare professionals.