Cyberbullying and Psychological Stress among Female Employees
Mason Robinson
Department of Cybersecurity, Old Dominion University
CYSE201S: Cybersecurity & Social Science
Professor Diwakar Yalpi
November 5, 2023
Cyberbullying and Psychological Stress among Female Employees
This article investigates the consequences of workplace cyberbullying and how it can have a detrimental effect on the psychological well-being of female employees in different sectors of Saudi Arabia. These studies do show that workplace cyberbullying has a detrimental effect on the psychological well-being of female employees, and it also harms job satisfaction as well. The current study makes up an important addition to the existing literature, despite the lack of research on workplace cyberbullying that targets female employees specifically. Also, this study focuses on Saudi Arabian female workers in a variety of organizations, a country where there hasn’t been a great deal of research on workplace cyberbullying.
Relation to Principles of the Social Sciences
This topic has some relation to the principles of Social Sciences one of them being “Objectivity” which is the way scientists study topics in a value-free manner. This topic would be a good example of that because it shows how these two researchers are investigating the consequences of workplace cyberbullying among women in a free manner. Another principle would be “Relativism” which means all things are related. This topic shows a relation to relativism because it shows how workplace cyberbullying relates to the cause of psychological stress that female employees are having. The last principle would be “Parsimony” which is where scientists should keep their levels of explanation as simple as possible. This topic would show how simple the explanation can be, we understand that there is cyberbullying going on in these workplaces in Saudi Arabia with female employees. A question can be formed to try to understand why female employees in these sectors have psychological stress and the simple answer to this would be that there is cyberbullying going on.
Hypothesis
In this study, there are a total of 5 hypotheses with the first hypothesis being “Workplace cyberbullying negatively influences the organizational commitment of female employees” (Doghan and Arshad 2023). In the article, it is stated that this hypothesis was indeed confirmed by the data that was collected. The reason for this being true is that the two researchers asked the female employees about their commitment to the organization with most of the answers being negative because of the cause of cyberbullying. The second hypothesis would be “Workplace cyberbullying is positively associated with the psychological stress of female employees” (Doghan and Arshad 2023). As stated in the article it was confirmed that this is correct by the study’s giving support to this second hypothesis. For why this is correct, the female employees were asked about their psychological stress and most of the answers were negative which was that they were not able to concentrate on the work they were doing, or that they felt like they couldn’t overcome difficulties. The third hypothesis would be “Workplace cyberbullying negatively influences perceived interactional justice of female employees” (Doghan and Arshad 2023). This hypothesis is to be confirmed to be correct with supporting evidence to back it up. The answers from the female employees are positive showing a correlation between workplace cyberbullying and interactional justice. The fourth hypothesis is that “Perceived interactional justice is associated with job satisfaction” (Doghan and Arshad 2023). The study’s findings show that there is an association between interactional justice and job satisfaction which makes the hypothesis true. The reason for this being true is that in both questions where the female employees were asked about perceived interactional justice and job satisfaction both sections’ answers were mostly positive showing that there is a relation between the two. The fifth hypothesis is “Perceived interactional justice mediated the relationship between workplace cyberbullying and job satisfaction” (Doghan and Arshad 2023). In the article, this hypothesis was shown to be true with evidence showing in the section on workplace cyberbullying being negative, but in the section on perceived interactional justice, it showed positivity in the answers as well in job satisfaction.
Research Methods
Pre-existing, previously validated measurement questionnaires were the research methods described in the article. Farley et al. (2016) employed a measurement scale to assess the variable of workplace cyberbullying. A measurement scale for the perceived interactional justice variables was developed based on studies by Beugre and Baron (2001). A measurement scale created by Banks et al. (1980) was modified to measure psychological stress. A measurement scale was used to assess job satisfaction which was made by Warr, Cook, and Wall (1979). A 5-point Likert scale was also applied.
Data and Analysis
Software like SPSS was used to analyze the quantitative numerical data that was gathered for the current study. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences was used to create the frequency distribution tables for the descriptive analysis and demographic analysis tables (SPSS). Smart PLS was used to conduct the hypothesis testing using structural equation modeling, or SEM. Confirmatory factor analysis was used as the first step in the SEM analysis to assess the measurement model. The purpose of this analysis was to determine the measurement scale’s convergent and discriminant validity as well as the measurement items’ reliability. The structural model was then assessed to perform path analysis using regression models, which made it easier to test hypotheses regarding direct effects, mediation, and moderation. In structural equation modeling (SEM), the data was analyzed using a two-step approach. Initially, the quality of the research instrument was evaluated by assessing the measurement model. The structural model was then looked at to confirm the study’s theories.
Concepts from the PowerPoints
One concept that relates to this topic is the concept of “Cyberbullying and Peer Networks” which involve cyberbullying committed by peers against their peers. In the article, the two researchers gave out a questionnaire to grab data from the female employees. One of the sections of the questionnaire, talked about workplace cyberbullying where there were certain answers like “I have received messages that have a disrespectful tone”, “I have received aggressively worded messages (using all capital letters, bold font or multiple exclamation marks) or “I have received messages that contain abusive language aimed at me” (Coyne et al., 2017; Farley et al., 2016). The number of negative examples and more shows a relation to this concept.
Marginalized Groups
The way this topic relates to the challenges, concerns, and contributions of marginalized groups because shows what marginalized groups must face when it comes to cyberbullying. The challenges that occur with cyberbullying can include mental effects that are like depression, anxiety, or isolation. Concerns with cyberbullying can lead to long-lasting problems and trauma which can hurt a person’s health. This topic and the study show how female employees are affected by cyberbullying in the workplace in different sectors of Saudi Arabia, which shows how other marginalized groups can be treated.
Contribution of the Studies to Society
These studies would show what female employees in the workplace in Saudi Arabia are going through and how it can be solved a lot better. As stated in the article it says that future investigations should be conducted where victims of cyberbullying should communicate their perspectives more fully and where a better work environment can be implemented. Also states that future researchers should also gather data from male employees because they also experience harassment that is not reported. This study can help different employees in workplaces around the world who are experiencing cyberbullying.
Conclusion
In conclusion, this article shows how much cyberbullying is done in workplaces in Saudi Arabia and how this causes stress to female employees which makes it harder for them to stay loyal and committed to the organization they work for. The data from this study can help different people who are suffering from cyberbullying in workplaces speak up and inform others of what is taking place.
References:
View of Cyberbullying and Psychological Stress among Female Employees. (n.d.). https://cybercrimejournal.com/menuscript/index.php/cybercrimejournal/article/view/161/61
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