The nature and experience of psychological violence as work trauma impacting on the health of teache

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The nature and experience of psychological
violence as work trauma impacting on the health
of teachers a health protection and
psycho-legal issue for teacher support
HPS 2006

• Tiaan (GJC) Kirsten

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Overview

• Introduction
• Aim
• Research design research method
• Nature of psychological violence
• Narcissistic Personality Disorder
  Hypothesis
• Experience of psychological violence
• Impact on the health of teachers
• Toxic work environments
• Question
• Health protection and legal rights of teachers
• Health protection and psycho-legal issue?
• Conclusion and recommendations

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Introduction

• Physical violence at the workplace recognised,
  psychological violence underestimated.
• The scope of violence in workplace in recent
  years changed to include the various forms of
  psychological violence (Wiskow, 20036).
• Psychological violence currently emerging as a
  priority concern at the workplace leading to a
  new awareness and re-evaluation of the importance
  of all psychological risks at work see also
  reports in media.
• Cost of lost working time and legal fees
  associated with the impact of work
• place bullying in the United Kingdom is estimated
  4 billion per annum.

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Aim

• ..to investigate the nature and experience of
  psychological violence as work trauma impacting
  on teachers health and how it can be regarded as
  health protection and psycho-legal issue for the
  provision of teacher support.

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Research design research method

• Research design
• Qualitative phenomenological study
• Participants
• 3/4 teachers from a particular primary school
• Research method
• Semi-structured interviews
• focus group interviews
• 3 questionnaires
• Symptom Scale
• Diagnostic criteria
• Clinical features

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Psychological violence

• perpetrated through repeated behaviour, of a
  type that by itself may be relatively minor but
  which cumulatively can become a very serious form
  of violence.
• Although a single incident can suffice,
  psychological violence often consists of
• repeated, unwelcome,
• unreciprocated and imposed action
• that may have a devastating effect on the victim.
  
• Although physical and psychological violence
  often overlap in practice.

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Nature of Psychological Violence Findings

• Main categories
• 1 Process of victimisation
• 2 The act of psychological violence
• 3 Management style of principal
• 4 Character of principal (perception)
• 5 Ineffective way of handling situation by
  Provincial Educational Department
• (see sub-categories on transparency)

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Hypothesis

• This principal presents a number of
  characteristics behaviors analogous of
  Narcissistic Personality Disorder
• This is corroborated by two rating scales based
  on
• Diagnostic criteria
• Clinical features

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Narcissistic Personality Disorder Hypothesis

• Narcissistic Personality Disorder (NPD),
  according to the DSM-lV-TR can be described as
• an all-pervasive pattern of grandiosity (in
  fantasy, or behaviour), need for admiration and
  adulation and lack of empathy, usually beginning
  by early adulthood and present in various
  contexts, as indicated by five (or more) of the
  following criteria

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Diagnostic Criteria (DSM-lV-TR)

• A grandiose sense of self-importance
• Is preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited
  success, power, brilliance, beauty, and ideal
  love.
• Believes that he/she is special and unique and
  can only be understood by, should only be treated
  by, or associate with, other special or unique,
  of high-status people (or institutions)
• Requires excessive admiration

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• Has a sense of entitlement that is striking,
  i.e., unreasonable expectations of especially
  favourable (priority) treatment or automatic and
  full compliance with his/her expectations. Is
  interpersonally exploitative, i.e. takes
  advantage of others (commonplace) to achieve his
  or her own ends
• Lacks empathy unwilling to recognize or identify
  with (or acknowledge) the feelings and needs of
  others.
• Is often envious of others or believes others are
  envious of him or her.
• Shows arrogant, haughty behaviours or attitudes
• (See also clinical features)

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Experience of Psychological Violence Findings

• (Impact on health of teachers)
• Main categories
• 1 Psychological symptoms
• 2 Behavioural symptoms
• 3 Physical symptoms
• 4 Social impact
• 5 Existential crisis
• 6 Lack of help form the Provincial Department
  of Education
• 7 Frantic efforts of coping
• (see sub-categories on transparency)

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Impact on the Health of Teachers

• 1. Heart arrhythmia
• 2. Use of substances to cope tobacco, alcohol,
  drugs, food
• 3. Avoidance of feelings, thoughts, and
  situations that
• remind you of trauma
• 4. Recurrent memories, nightmares and flashbacks
• 5. Chronic fatigue syndrome
• 6. Shame or embarrassment that led to dramatic
  changes in lifestyle
• 7. Feeling edgy, irritable, easily startled and
  constantly on guard (paranoia)
• 8. Obsession over details at work

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Impact

• 9. Panic attacks
• 10. Exhaustion, leading to an inability to
  function
• 11. Compulsive behaviours
• 12. Ulcers
• 13. Thinking about being violent towards others
• 14. Hair loss
• 15. Fibromyalgia--inflamed joints and connective
  tissue
• 16. Racing heart rate
• 17. Loss of concentration
• 18. Skin changes, e.g., shingles, rashes, acne
• 19. Irritable bowel syndrome (colitis)
• 20. Angina

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Impact

• 21. Disrupted sleep
• 22. Stress headaches
• 23. Suicidal thoughts
• 24. Anxiety, stress. excessive worry
• 25. Diagnosed depression
• 26. Significant weight change (loss or gain)
• 27. High blood pressure/hypertension
• 28. Migraines
• 29. Body aches - muscles or joints
• 30. Chest pains
• 31. Asthma or allergies
• 32. TMJ (jaw tightening/teeth grinding)
• 33. Heart attack(s)

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Conclusion?

• It is quite clear that the behaviour of the
  principal with NPD are experienced as
  psychological violence by the participants.
• The experience of Psychological Violence its
  impact on the Health of Teachers may constitute a
  toxic work environment

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Toxic work environments

• Barling (1999) indicates that "aggression in the
  workplace is most likely when two factors are
  present psychologically unhealthy people and
  psychologically unhealthy organisations."

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Question

• Should teachers not have the same legal rights to
  health protection from psycho-social toxic work
  environments as have been the case where workers
  have been exposed to toxic chemical substances?

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Health protection and legal rights of educators

• Health protection form one of the components of
  health promotion.
• Health protection can be defined as legal or
  fiscal controls, other regulations and policies,
  and voluntary codes of practice, aimed at the
  enhancement of positive health and the prevention
  of ill-health (Downie, Tannhill Tannahill,
  200052).
• Existing legislation and litigation may therefore
  be important vectors in health protection.

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The law and psychological violence in the
workplace

• legislation and litigation in South Africa

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Litigation International

• Waters v London Metropolitan Police
• employee has the right to sue for negligence
  if bullying and harassment, which the employer
  knew about but failed to deal with resulted in
  psychiatric injury.
• Long v Mercury Mobile Communications Services
• Long was the target of bullying. Won his case
  on the basis of first stress breakdown. New
  precedent.

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Litigation South African

• Ntsabo v Real Security CC 2003 (LC)
• Considered the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998,
  s. 60(3) which establishes a form of statutory
  liability for employers who fail to act against
  employees guilty of unfair discrimination or
  harassment vis-à-vis fellow employees,....

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Litigation

• Grobler v Naspers, Cape High Court (HC) Febr.
  2004
• the first reported South African judgment
  analysing the vicarious liability of an employer
  for sexual harassment committed by one of its
  employees,
• represents an important development of the common
  law
• awaiting the outcome of an appeal to the Supreme
  Court of Appeal (SCA)

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Health protection and psycho-legal issue?

• Yes, we think so
• Why?
• Health protection Teachers need protection from
  toxic work environments due to Psychological
  Violence and the experience of work trauma
  legislation litigation.
• Psycho-legal Cooperation between (forensic)
  psychology (educational) law is essential in
  protecting teachers their health.

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CONCLUSION

• As seen from the effects of Psychological
  Violence can be regarded as work trauma.
• Psychological violent behaviours of managers with
  NPD may be experienced as so stressful that it
  can create toxic work environments.
• Awareness of health protection of teachers have
  not been explored or raised into collective
  consciousness enough.
• Legislation unfortunately do not refer directly
  to bullying.
• Recent judgements in litigation internationally
  and nationally may may be setting new legal
  precedent.

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RECOMMENDATIONS

• Mandatory screening.
• 360 degree feedback.
• In-service training prior to eligibility and
  application for promotion.
• More research on prevalence and incidence of
  managers with NPD.
• precedent for litigation has already been set
  internationally and nationally.
• Accountability of employers to be pursued.

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• I thank you