ABSTRACT

Although a wealth of research has accumulated on individual and organizational antecedents of adverse safety outcomes, we argue in this chapter that the experience of workplace mistreatment (including bullying, harassment, physical and verbal aggression, and incivility) may be an important, yet understudied, variable to consider. We draw upon theoretical frameworks within the stress, social exchange, and self-determination literatures to delineate multiple potential mediating mechanisms explaining the relationship between workplace mistreatment and workplace safety-related outcomes. Specifically, stress-related mechanisms include fear of mistreatment, negative mood, and cognitive distraction, whereas social-exchange mechanisms include psychological contract breach, interpersonal injustice, moral disengagement, and reduced motivation. Finally, potentially relevant self-determination mechanisms include the psychological needs for autonomy, belongingness, and competence. In identifying these potential explanatory mechanisms, we develop several theoretical propositions that require future empirical evaluation. We also offer additional directions for future research and encourage researchers in this area to take a multilevel perspective when considering potential moderators and fruitful points of intervention.