Mobbing: case record, gender differences, medico-legal issues

Objectives: To evaluate with a multidisciplinary approach (occupational physician, psychologist, psychiatrist) the frequency and gender differences of psychiatric disorders due to mobbing (and other forms of work-related stress) in clinical practice. Methods: Between 2001 and 2011, we examined 474 outpatients (273 females, 201 males), aged between 21 and 61 years (average 41.8 years), for suspected psychopathological work-related problems. The diagnostic process included occupational health evaluation, psychological counseling, structured interview for DSM-IV (Diagnostical and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders), personality test MMPI-2 (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory-2), psychiatric visit, laboratory and instrumental tests when indicated. The evaluations were mostly based on what the patients reported, due to the fact that it was impossible to directly examine the work environment. Thus, mobbing syndrome diagnoses were formulated in probabilistic terms. Results: A work-related psychiatric disorder was diagnosed in 152 subjects(32% of the whole case series): 37 cases (8%) were probably due to mobbing. The other patients presented work-unrelated psychiatric conditions (28% of cases) or no psychiatric disorders (according to DSM-IV criteria). Among workers with disorders due to mobbing or other forms of work-related stress, the majority (62%) were women, with medium-high education, mostly between 34 and 45 years. The occupations involved were various, with predominance of office work. Discussion and Conclusions: Using a rigorous diagnostic procedure, a psychopathological disorder due to mobbing -or to other forms of occupational stress- is diagnosed in a limited number of patients, mostly women. Thus, caution should be adopted in labeling as “mobbing syndrome” clinical conditions that can show similar manifestations. Such conditions can easily generate conflict with employers, based on unfounded allegations, if superficially assessed. The majority of women with stress-related disorders were between 34 and 45 years: this may be explained by the increased family commitment in this age range, resulting in rise of stressful conditions and working difficulties. The study calls for adequate preventative measures, primarily aimed at protecting women’s work.