The importance of being "neutral" in workplace bullying prevention

AIMS This study aims to propose a classification of users' typology that contact an institutional neutral clearing post on bullying in Italy and to highlight how such a structure is an essential instrument to effectively intervene at every level of the relational disease process and psychological distress as well, or rather, primarily as a preventive measure . One purpose of this research is to test the assupmtion that the number of users/patients in Italy who apply to health care facilities and/or trade union structures is underestimated at present compared to the real one and this for the particular user-targets who apply to those structures. An institutional clearing point created to increase public awareness in the phenomenon and to spread a socially shared vision on bullying concept, allows us to analyze all possible users of the center, being healthy or unhealthy, victims or just mere bystanders of unknown events taking place around them.CONCLUSIONS Waiting for our hypothesis about an underestimation of prevalence rate on bullying in Italy to be confuted or conversely confirmed by further evidences, replicating this study on a broader number of users, we can only say that the current sample ( N = 39) is too small to be able to think of generalizing these findings, but sufficient great to generate an insight. It is worth noting that even without a law statement dealing with bullying in workplace like in Italy, the social intervention offered by Public Local Authorities might be the most complete and effective anyway. Into a non-medical center the estimate of prevalence rate may be completely different compared to another presented by public or private health clinics as well as by trade unions. In fact, these structures probably understate the amount of potential victims not representing the whole working population but being a sample referred only to the third group we defined in our study: the third group users are those who usually applies to medical centers or trade unions offices after being transfer or moved from their office preferably or after being forced to change tasks or job. Despite all, this group accounts for only a third of potential users, namely, just the tip of the iceberg. Establishing institutional points of neutral support for workers gives us hope for the future to effectively prevent psychosocial risk and consequently improve work and life conditions.