Workplace violence linked to about half a year less work after age 50

The association was found in a Swedish study of workers over 50, while the link with bullying was less certain.

Editorial illustration — not from the study.

A Swedish study of workers older than 50 found that those exposed to workplace violence or threats of violence were expected to spend fewer years in work after age 50 than those who were not exposed. After accounting for sex and occupational level, the difference was about 0.56 years, or roughly seven months.

Workplace bullying was associated with a similar reduction in expected working years, but that result was not statistically significant. The researchers say preventing workplace violence could help extend working lives.

Fewer years in work

Before adjustment, exposure to workplace bullying was associated with 0.42 fewer expected years in work after age 50, with a 95% confidence interval from -1.23 to 0.01 years. Violence or threats of violence were also associated with 0.42 fewer years, with a 95% confidence interval from -1.06 to 0.01 years.

After adjustment for sex and occupational level, workers exposed to violence had 0.56 fewer expected years in work at age 50 than unexposed workers, with a 95% confidence interval from -1.02 to -0.10 years. The estimate for workplace bullying was 0.63 fewer years, but its 95% confidence interval, from -1.39 to 0.14 years, included no difference.

Why the finding matters

The findings link workplace violence or threats of violence with fewer expected years in work among older workers. This suggests that preventing workplace violence could contribute to longer working lives. The study does not show that violence directly caused earlier departure from work, and the evidence for bullying was less conclusive.

Evidence and caveats

This was a prospective cohort study based on 12,920 participants in the bullying analyses and 12,903 in the violence analyses, followed using Swedish survey data from 2008 to 2020. The study found associations, so it cannot establish that workplace violence or bullying caused people to leave work earlier. The results came from older workers in Sweden and may not apply equally to other populations. The association for violence remained statistically significant after adjustment for sex and occupational level, while the estimate for bullying did not.

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