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The factor structure of generalized workplace harassment

Kathleen M Rospenda1, Judith A Richman

  • 1University of Illinois at Chicago, Psychiatric Institute 60612, USA. krospenda@psych.uic.edu

Violence and Victims
|September 24, 2004
PubMed
Summary

This study developed the Generalized Workplace Harassment Questionnaire (GWHQ) to measure workplace harassment. Findings revealed covert hostility as the most common form, significantly predicting psychological distress.

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Area of Science:

  • Psychology
  • Occupational Health
  • Sociology

Background:

  • Workplace harassment poses significant risks to employee well-being and organizational productivity.
  • Existing instruments may not fully capture the multifaceted nature of workplace harassment.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To develop and validate the Generalized Workplace Harassment Questionnaire (GWHQ).
  • To assess the psychometric properties of the GWHQ in a large sample of university employees.

Main Methods:

  • Development of a 29-item questionnaire assessing five conceptual domains of harassment.
  • Administration of the GWHQ to over 1700 current and former university employees across three time points.
  • Factor analysis to determine the underlying structure of the GWHQ.

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Main Results:

  • Factor analysis yielded a four-factor solution: covert hostility, verbal hostility, manipulation, and physical hostility, differing from the initial conceptual domains.
  • Covert hostility was the most prevalent form of harassment experienced.
  • Verbal hostility, covert hostility, and manipulation were identified as significant predictors of psychological distress.

Conclusions:

  • The GWHQ, with its revised four-factor structure, offers a psychometrically sound measure of workplace harassment.
  • Understanding the prevalence and predictors of different harassment types is crucial for developing targeted interventions.
  • The findings highlight the impact of specific harassment forms on employee psychological distress.