Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the prevalence of face-to-face workplace bullying (WPB) and cyber-WPB in various athletic training practice settings and whether differences exist. We also sought to examine the relationship between the above modes of WPB.
Method: A cross-sectional design, using the Athletic Training Workplace Environment survey, including the Negative Acts Questionnaire—Revised (NAQ-R), explored whether participants perceived WPB had occurred. Identification of bullied participants was done by assigning 1 point for every NAQ-R item with a weekly or daily frequency and those participants with a score of 2 or more points were classified as having experienced WPB. To discern between face-to-face (F2F) WPB and cyberbullying (e.g., e-mail, text, social media) participants were provided with 2 response areas to delineate the frequency of F2F WPB and cyber-WPB. Descriptive statistics were used to examine prevalence; A Pearson Chi-Square test was used to examine the relationship between cyber and F2F WPB; A Kruskal-Wallis H test was used to examine differences in practice setting. A P value of .05 was set for all analyses.
Results: Participants were aged 35.7 ± 12 with 12.7 ± 11 years of athletic training experience. Most were employed in the secondary school setting, followed by college/university, and clinical/clinic outreach. Findings revealed 20% of respondents in the secondary school setting experienced F2F WPB, whereas 13% experienced cyber-WPB. In the collegiate setting, 21% and 17% of respondents experienced F2F and cyber-WPB, respectively. For clinical/clinical outreach athletic trainers, 49% of respondents reported experiencing F2F WPB and 27% reported experiencing cyber-WPB. The Pearson Chi-Square test revealed this positive relationship between F2F and cyber-based WPB and the Kruskal-Wallis H test showed a statistically significant difference in F2F bullying by practice setting.
Conclusions and possible recommendations: The prevalence of WPB is significantly greater for clinical/clinical outreach athletic trainers, compared to other settings and those who experience cyber-WPB also experience F2D WPB. Future research should investigate the antecedents of bullying as well as the perpetrators of these acts in order to suggest appropriate interventions. These may include addressing situational factors such as high work hours and lack of autonomy.
Recommended Citation
Weuve C, Pitney W. Athletic Trainers Experience with Different Modes of Workplace Bullying Across Various Practice Settings: A Cross-Sectional Study. The Internet Journal of Allied Health Sciences and Practice. 2025 Jan 17;23(1), Article 21.