Scoping review finds mixed links between workplace violence, harassment and hypertension

A scoping review of 28 studies found that workplace violence and harassment may be associated with hypertension and adverse blood pressure outcomes, but the highly heterogeneous evidence does not establish causation. Of the studies that quantitatively examined these relationships, 10 of 25, or 40.00%, were classified as consistently supportive of a positive association. Their findings were directionally concordant and showed no clearly opposing patterns across relevant analyses.

The review mapped evidence concerning workplace violence and harassment, recognized psychosocial stressors that can affect cardiovascular health, and their links with clinical hypertension and continuous blood pressure levels. Researchers followed the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews, or PRISMA-ScR, framework. They searched 11 databases from inception through March 2026 and supplemented that search with Google Scholar screening and backward citation tracking of eligible studies.

The supplied abstract does not describe the workers’ locations, occupations or demographic characteristics, so the review’s findings should be understood as covering the populations represented in the included literature rather than all workers. Beyond the 10 consistently supportive studies, the remaining quantitative studies reported mixed findings, no clear association, or consistently inverse estimates. This variation was the central result of the review.

The authors identified heterogeneity across the evidence and methodological limitations that prevented them from drawing causal conclusions. Consequently, the available studies do not establish that workplace violence or harassment directly causes hypertension, nor do they establish a single uniform association across every population or analysis. Its findings indicate that some studies support a positive relationship between occupational violence or harassment and hypertension-related outcomes, while others do not show that pattern consistently.

The evidence therefore warrants attention as a potential occupational health concern, but the direction, strength and persistence of the association remain uncertain because the quantitative results are not uniform. The authors called for longitudinal studies that repeatedly assess both workplace violence and harassment exposure and blood pressure. Such research could help distinguish acute blood pressure responses from persistent changes and clarify the implications for occupational hypertension prevention.

Its overall conclusion is measured: workplace violence and harassment may be associated with hypertension and adverse blood pressure outcomes, but causal claims require stronger and more consistent evidence.

Subject of Research: Scoping review of workplace violence, harassment and hypertension-related outcomes

Article Title: Association between workplace violence and harassment and hypertension-related outcomes: a scoping review

Article References: Xu, S., Zhang, M., Li, K., Huang, Y., He, C., Tang, Y., Wang, X., & Zhang, Y. (2026). Association between workplace violence and harassment and hypertension-related outcomes: a scoping review. BMC Public Health. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-026-30008-5

Image Credits: AI Generated

DOI: 10.1186/s12889-026-30008-5

Keywords: workplace violence, workplace harassment, hypertension, blood pressure, occupational health, psychosocial stress, cardiovascular health, scoping review, longitudinal research, Association, between, workplace