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The Roles of Work-Life Conflict and Gender in the Relationship between Workplace Bullying and Personal Burnout. A Study on Italian School Principals

Author

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  • Ilaria Buonomo

    (Department of Human Sciences, LUMSA University, 00193 Rome, Italy)

  • Caterina Fiorilli

    (Department of Human Sciences, LUMSA University, 00193 Rome, Italy)

  • Luciano Romano

    (Department of Human Sciences, LUMSA University, 00193 Rome, Italy)

  • Paula Benevene

    (Department of Human Sciences, LUMSA University, 00193 Rome, Italy)

Abstract

The present study sought to investigate the associations between workplace bullying and personal burnout both directly and indirectly via work-life conflict. Furthermore, the moderating role of gender in these relations was examined. Traditional research on stress at work focuses on the role of dimensions related to job tasks, demands, and organizational support in influencing the risks for stress-related problems in employees. At the same time, other experiences at work may reduce employees’ well-being, such as workplace bullying and family life. Specifically, considering the detrimental role of work-life conflict, it is possible to hypothesize that it would exacerbate workplace bullying’s harmful effects on employees’ health. Moreover, since previous studies have reported mixed or inconsistent results when considering gender differences with the above-mentioned dimensions, it seems worth investigating the role of employee gender in representing (and response to) the bullying experiences. Building on these considerations, this work verifies whether: (1) work-life conflict mediates the relationship between workplace bullying and burnout; (2) gender moderates all the possible relationships among the constructs. Such hypotheses are verified on a sample of school principals, in light of their peculiar job role. Overall, our findings showed that: (1) Workplace bullying and burnout are associated, both with and without the perception of a concurring work-life conflict; (2) Gender does not moderate all the possible relationships among workplace bullying, work-life conflict and burnout. Overall, being female heightens the risk to perceive work-life conflict in general, as well as to be burnt out, when bullied, with and without the presence of work-life conflict; being male heightens the risk to perceive work-life conflict when bullied. Furthermore, the current findings suggest that family demands may influence school principals’ feelings of exhaustion regardless of gender. These findings confirm and expand previous literature, especially concerning a less studied occupation, namely school principals, shedding a new light on their work experiences. Furthermore, the present study offers interesting implications for trainings on principal’s skills and professional identity.

Suggested Citation

  • Ilaria Buonomo & Caterina Fiorilli & Luciano Romano & Paula Benevene, 2020. "The Roles of Work-Life Conflict and Gender in the Relationship between Workplace Bullying and Personal Burnout. A Study on Italian School Principals," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(23), pages 1-17, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:17:y:2020:i:23:p:8745-:d:450617
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Ilaria Buonomo & Paolo Emilio Santoro & Paula Benevene & Ivan Borrelli & Giacomo Angelini & Caterina Fiorilli & Maria Rosaria Gualano & Umberto Moscato, 2022. "Buffering the Effects of Burnout on Healthcare Professionals’ Health—The Mediating Role of Compassionate Relationships at Work in the COVID Era," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(15), pages 1-15, July.
    2. Hee-Sun Kim & In-Ok Sim, 2021. "The Experience of Clinical Nurses after Korea’s Enactment of Workplace Anti-Bullying Legislation: A Phenomenological Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(11), pages 1-15, May.
    3. Caterina Fiorilli & Daniela Barni & Claudia Russo & Vanessa Marchetti & Giacomo Angelini & Luciano Romano, 2022. "Students’ Burnout at University: The Role of Gender and Worker Status," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(18), pages 1-15, September.
    4. Ilaria Buonomo & Martina Pansini & Sara Cervai & Paula Benevene, 2022. "Compassionate Work Environments and Their Role in Teachers’ Life Satisfaction: The Contribution of Perceived Collective School Performance and Burnout," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-14, October.
    5. Sam S. S. Lau & Eric N. Y. Shum & Jackie O. T. Man & Ethan T. H. Cheung & Padmore Adusei Amoah & Angela Y. M. Leung & Orkan Okan & Kevin Dadaczynski, 2022. "A Cross-Sectional Study of the Perceived Stress, Well-Being and Their Relations with Work-Related Behaviours among Hong Kong School Leaders during the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-18, November.
    6. Amina Amari & Mohamed Mousa & Walid Chaouali & Zohra Ghali-Zinoubi & Narjess Aloui, 2023. "Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde? Unpacking the Effects of Flexitime and Flexiplace: a Study on MENA Region," Public Organization Review, Springer, vol. 23(4), pages 1333-1352, December.
    7. Marcela-Sefora Nemțeanu & Dan-Cristian Dabija, 2023. "Negative Impact of Telework, Job Insecurity, and Work–Life Conflict on Employee Behaviour," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(5), pages 1-18, February.

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