Abstract
Background: Previous studies suggest high prevalence rates of workplace bullying in the NHS (Quine, 1999), however research efforts have concentrated mostly on medical professionals. Psychologists have a key role in delivering care, thus it was deemed important to know how this phenomenon impacts the NHS psychology workforce. Objectives: The primary objective of the study was to assess whether NHS Clinical and Counselling Psychologists report experiencing workplace bullying (negative acts) at work. Secondly, the study aimed to examine the relationship between bullying and occupational health outcomes; psychological distress, well-being, job satisfaction, propensity to leave and resilience (as a moderator). Sample and method: The study adopted a quantitative, cross-sectional survey design. The sample comprised of 85 psychologists, representing a response rate of 51 per cent. The gold standard Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised (NAQ-R) was employed as the primary measure. Results: One tenth of clinical and counselling psychologists in the responding sample reported being bullied in the last six months. Using an objective criterion of bullying, this figure rose to a third. Job satisfaction showed a consistently significant inverse association with workplace bullying. Resilience did not have a moderating effect in this sample. Discussion: Findings from the study suggest a substantial proportion of psychologists in this sample had been bullied, and contributed to an expanding evidence base regarding bullying in the NHS. The prevalence of self-reported bullying in psychologists was lower than in other professional groups. Clinical implications related to policy and practice, and were relevant for both psychologists and NHS organisations.