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ORIGINAL RESEARCH article

Front. Psychol.
Sec. Consciousness Research
Volume 15 - 2024 | doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1481718
This article is part of the Research Topic Spirituality and Religion: Implications for Mental Health View all 26 articles

'God is Always on My Side': Internal and External Predictors of Workplace Bullying Targets' Help-Seeking Behaviour in a Religious Context

Provisionally accepted
  • Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, Lithuania

The final, formatted version of the article will be published soon.

    Workplace bullying is a pervasive issue that affects millions of individuals worldwide, leading to severe psychological and social consequences. This study examines the factors influencing the decisions of religious individuals who have experienced workplace bullying, with an explicit focus on their choice to seek help from their religious community. The study involved respondents from various religious groups, most of whom were Roman Catholic. The research employs a crosssectional design, integrating quantitative analysis with qualitative insights. Data from 1231 respondents were analysed via descriptive statistics, correlation, regression, and content analysis methods. The main coping strategies identified were self-coping and seeking help within a close, trusted environment. Attitudes towards the religious organization (subjective norms) consistently predicted help-seeking decisions more accurately than access to religious counselling (perceived behavioral control) or personal values. This research provides one of the first empirical insights into how religious communities can actively mitigate the psychological impact of workplace bullying, offering a novel perspective on the intersection of faith and mental health. The findings suggest that religious organizations could be crucial in supporting victims by enhancing outreach and counselling services, contributing to a holistic approach to workplace well-being. These findings have significant implications for religious communities, highlighting their potential to support their members in times of active distress.

    Keywords: workplace bullying, Religious coping, Theory of Planned Behaviour, Subjective norms, Help-seeking behaviour, religious community support, mixed methods

    Received: 16 Aug 2024; Accepted: 12 Nov 2024.

    Copyright: © 2024 Deikus and Vveinhardt. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

    * Correspondence: Jolita Vveinhardt, Vytautas Magnus University, Kaunas, 44248, Lithuania

    Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.