Exploring the moderating role of coping style on the relationship between workplace bullying and employee wellbeing in South African organisation

Leclercq, Colleen

Exploring the moderating role of coping style on the relationship between workplace bullying and employee wellbeing in South African organisation

Thesis / Dissertation

2025

Publisher

University of Cape Town

Department

Accounting and Accountability in Africa

Faculty

Faculty of Commerce

Abstract

This study explores the relationship between workplace bullying, psychological wellbeing, and coping styles among employees in South African organisations, aiming to understand the potential moderating effects of coping strategies on workplace bullying and psychological outcomes. A quantitative survey was conducted with a sample of 273 employees from various industries in South Africa, utilising Einarsen et al. (2009) Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised (NAQ-R), Ryff's (1989) 42-item Psychological Wellbeing Scale (PWBS), and Johannsdottir and Olafsson's (2004) Bullying Coping Scale (BCS). Data analysis comprised descriptive statistics to describe the sample, and correlation analysis was used to assess the strength and direction between psychological wellbeing, workplace bullying, and bullying coping styles and to guide further analysis. Preliminary Exploratory Factor Analysis examined the factor loading for the Bullying Coping Scale. Multiple Regression analysis was used to model the relationship between psychological wellbeing, workplace bullying, bullying coping styles and to analyse interaction items for potential moderating effects. Results confirmed the main effects of a significant negative relationship between workplace bullying and employee psychological wellbeing. Moderation effect results indicated that although coping styles generally did not moderate the relationship between workplace bullying and employee psychological wellbeing, the do-nothing coping style was a significant predictor of lower psychological wellbeing scores. The findings suggest that passive coping styles may exacerbate the negative impact of workplace bullying on employee psychological wellbeing. Interventions should focus on more proactive coping strategies that can be implemented at various levels within the organisation to mitigate the negative effects of workplace bullying and to enhance psychological wellbeing in the workplace.