Revealing the confluences of workplace bullying, suicidality, and their association with depression

This cross-sectional study analyzed data from 12,541 employees aged 19–65 across 26 companies and public institutions who underwent workplace mental health screening. Workplace bullying was self-reported and categorized into ‘Not bullied,’ ‘Occasional bullied,’ and ‘Frequently bullied.’ Depression was assessed using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression scale, and suicidality was measured via a self-reported questionnaire from the Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Overall, 18.7% of women and 10.6% of men reported experiencing workplace bullying. Multivariable logistic regression revealed that both the occasionally and frequently bullied were significantly associated with increased odds of suicidal ideation (OR = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.27–1.69; OR = 1.81, 95% CI = 1.36–2.40) and suicide attempts (OR = 2.27, 95% CI = 1.34–3.85; OR = 4.43, 95% CI = 2.13–9.21). The association between bullying and suicidal ideation was significant for participants with and without depression (OR = 1.47, 95% CI = 1.28–1.69; OR = 1.86, 95% CI = 1.31–2.62). Men exhibited a stronger association (p for interaction < 0.001). Whether an individual later had depressive symptoms or not, higher exposure to workplace bullying was associated with higher suicidality risk. The study highlights the need for companies to screen for bullying and provide mental health resources to prevent workplace-related suicides.