Introduction.

Mobbing is a form of workplace harassment that involves bullying, social exclusion, and work obstruction by one or more colleagues in the same professional environment. The objective of this study was to identify the risk factors, origins, and frequency of mobbing, its link to psychosocial stress, and its impact on healthcare workers.

Methods.

Prospective, observational, and descriptive study to compare the evolution of this phenomenon ten years later, using anonymous surveys of workers included in Laws No. 10471 and No. 10430 of public hospitals in the province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, for 12 consecutive months.

Results.

A total of 161 health workers participated, 69.5% of whom were women. The most represented age group was 41 to 50 years (34.1%). Job tenure peaked at two levels: 1-5 years (28%) and 16-20 years (25%). One hundred and nine cases of harassment were reported (67.7%), primarily perpetrated by superiors (53.2%).

Conclusions.

The incidence of bullying in the healthcare sector remains very high. This second study also found no association with variables such as sex, nationality, marital status, educational level, or type of contract. Similarly, age and length of employment did show a direct relationship with bullying, confirming its effect as a chronic stressor. The consequences included psychosomatic symptoms, depression, anxiety attacks, and increased absenteeism, affecting hospital productivity.

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