Workplace bullying and psychotropic drug use: the mediating role of physical and mental health status.

OBJECTIVES: The association between workplace bullying and psychotropic drug use is not well established. This study was aimed at exploring the association between workplace bullying, and its characteristics, and psychotropic drug use and studying the mediating role of physical and mental health. METHODS: The study population consisted of a random sample of 3132 men and 4562 women of the working population in the south-east of France. Workplace bullying, evaluated using the validated instrument elaborated by Leymann, and psychotropic drug use, as well as covariates, were measured using a self-administered questionnaire. Covariates included age, marital status, presence of children, education, occupation, working hours, night work, physico-chemical exposures at work, self-reported health, and depressive symptoms. Statistical analysis was performed using logistic regression analysis and was carried out separately for men and women. RESULTS: Workplace bullying was strongly associated with psychotropic drug use. Past exposure to bullying increased the risk for this use. The more frequent and the longer the exposure to bullying, the stronger the association with psychotropic drug use. Observing bullying on someone else at the workplace was associated with psychotropic drug use. Adjustment for covariates did not modify the results. Additional adjustment for self-reported health and depressive symptoms reduced the magnitude of the associations, especially for men. CONCLUSIONS: The association between bullying and psychotropic drug use was found to be significant and strong and was partially mediated by physical and mental health.

Workplace bullying and sleep disturbances: findings from a large scale cross-sectional survey in the French working population.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to explore the associations between workplace bullying, the characteristics of workplace bullying, and sleep disturbances in a large sample of employees of the French working population. DESIGN: Workplace bullying, evaluated using the validated instrument developed by Leymann, and sleep disturbances, as well as covariates, were measured using a self-administered questionnaire. Covariates included age, marital status, presence of children, education, occupation, working hours, night work, physical and chemical exposures at work, self-reported health, and depressive symptoms. Statistical analysis was performed using logistic regression analysis and was carried out separately for men and women. SETTING: General working population. PARTICIPANTS: The study population consisted of a random sample of 3132 men and 4562 women of the working population in the southeast of France. RESULTS: Workplace bullying was strongly associated with sleep disturbances. Past exposure to bullying also increased the risk for this outcome. The more frequent the exposure to bullying, the higher the risk of experiencing sleep disturbances. Observing someone else being bullied in the workplace was also associated with the outcome. Adjustment for covariates did not modify the results. Additional adjustment for self-reported health and depressive symptoms diminished the magnitude of the associations that remained significant. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of workplace bullying (around 10%) was found to be high in this study as well was the impact of this major job-related stressor on sleep disturbances. Although no conclusion about causality could be drawn from this cross-sectional study, the findings suggest that the contribution of workplace bullying to the burden of sleep disturbances may be substantial.

[Histogenetic study and mixed lymphocyte reaction in 2 lines of chickens homozygotic for haplotypes B14 and B19]. / Etude histogénétique et réaction lymphocytaire mixte chez deux lignées de poulets homozygotes pour les haplotypes B14 et B19.

The histocompatibility status of homozygous chicken for B14 and B19 haplotypes of Hy-line stock origin was compared by skin grafts and the mixed lymphocyte reaction. No differences in graft survival (33 days) could be recorded in H-B compatible grafts in either haplotype tested. Reciprocal allografts however (B14 in equilibrium B19) were rejected within 12 days in both haplotypes. A weak stimulation index (1.3-1.9) persisted in individuals serologically identical with respect to the H-B complex whereas a strong index of 10.4 was obtained in allogeneic lymphocyte cocultures.

[Treatment by plants of injuries caused by marine animals in New Caledonia. An approach of the indigenous treatment (author's transl)]. / Le traitement par les plantes des blessures par animaux marins en nouvelle-calédonie. Essai d'approche du traitement indigène.

An approach by an ethnobotanist and a surgeon of the indigenous treatment of injuries caused by marine animals in New Caledony. Actually, the indigenous plants used are under pharmaco-chemical study. They seem to have a real efficiency against thermolabiles venoms, but the mechanism of their action is still unknown; there is no proof of any antidote action. Their efficiency may result from their mode of preparation and local application on the wounds, with a physical action neutralizing the venoms by chemical structure destabilization. Plants used to treat wounds caused by predators have demonstrated a good healing effect when associated with logic surgical tactic (wounds left unsutured). Nowadays, and in the expectation of further studies, severe cases require modern treatments with pathophysiologic bases, such as serotherapy when available or resuscitation technics. Antibiotics and surgery are an absolute requirement in case of septicemic condition.