Bullying follows LGB people from school to work: Study

Washington D.C. [USA] Nov 8 (ANI): Bullying may be a chronic problem for lesbian, gay and bisexual (LGB) individuals, which continues from school to the workplace.
According to a recent research, around one in three lesbian, gay and bisexual individuals who are bullied at school, have similar experiences in the workplace later in life.
The study, published in the Manchester School journal, approached 400 members of the LGB community and asked them about their experience at school as well as about bullying at their workplace now.
It found that 35.2% of gay or bisexual men, who had experienced frequent school-age bullying, also faced workplace harassment. Among lesbian women, the figure was 29%.
When describing their experiences at school, 73% of gay men said they were constantly, or frequently bullied. Just 9.9% said they were never subject to any harassment.
Among lesbian women, 59% experienced constant, frequent, or occasional bullying. The mean age of participants was 37, meaning their school years would have been approximately between 1985 and 1997.
The research also examined job satisfaction. Most gay men said they were "dissatisfied" with their job (56%), while this was also the most common answer for lesbian women (47%).
Author Dr Nick Drydakis, of Anglia Ruskin University, said, "This study suggests that bullying may be a chronic problem for LGB individuals, which continues from school to the workplace.
"This could be for a number of reasons. School-age bullying could be more likely to lead to low self-esteem, a difficulty in forming trusting relationships, or a greater risk of poor mental health. Factors like these may make it more likely they will experience bullying in the workplace later in life," wrote Drydakis.
Drydakis went on to say that "post-school-age bullying victims might exhibit characteristics of vulnerability, such as sub-assertive behaviours, which make them attractive targets for unfavourable treatments and evaluations from colleagues and employers in the workplace."
"In turn, individuals, firms and society as a whole face long-lasting negative effects which appear to begin in the playground," Drydakis added.
The research also concluded that there is a negative link between intimidation of LGB individuals and job satisfaction.
"Interestingly, we found that the existence of a workplace group for LGB individuals appeared to result in better job satisfaction, perhaps a lesson for employers wanting a more satisfied and motivated workforce," the research mentioned. (ANI)