In connection with the Work Environment Fund's (AMFO) major investment in a research project concerning social expulsion, mobbing and victimisation at work in the labour market, an interview series employing the LIPT-method was included in one of the national representative investigations (Leymann, 1992a). This sample included 2,428 subjects. Analyses revealed that 350 of them had been subjected to mobbing. The individuals replied to questions regarding a number of stress symptoms as selected from neurological questionnaires in use at the Department of Neurology at the Swedish National Board of Occupational Health Research Institute. For each symptom, the interviewed individual had to choose between whether he or she had had the symptom during the last 12 months (1) very often or constantly; (2) often; (3) less often or seldom; or (4) never (complete information about the sample and methods is to be found in the original report from Leymann, 1992a). Further statistical analysis of the material led to the hypothesis that PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) and GAD (general anxiety disorder) would be appropriate psychiatric diagnoses.

Results from the factor analysis: The statistical processing included a factor analysis of the symptoms (Leymann, 1992d). The principle component varimax rotation was used. As a basis for this analysis the results of all responses from identified mobbing victims were taken into account. The symptoms occurring over the past 12 months led to formation of the following seven factor groups. All 350 of the identified mobbing victims were interviewed:

Table: Factor analysis and item weights of symptoms stated by employees reporting mobbing activities. n=350

The first five factor groups show the most revealing factor profiles. From a clinical perspective, these five groups are neither medically nor psychiatrically difficult to interpret. Group 1 deals with cognitive effects of strong stressors producing psychic hyperreactions. Group 2 indicates a syndrome with psychosomatic stress symptoms. Group 3 deals with symptoms arising in connection with production of stress hormones and activities of the autonomic nervous system. Group 4 describes symptoms which company health care physicians often encounter in individuals who have been stressed during very long periods of time and where the symptoms deal with muscular tensions. Group 5 comprises symptoms concerning sleep problems. Groups 6 and 7 are difficult to inerpret as too few items are shown.

These results were compared with well known psychiatric syndromes as described in the manuals of psychiatric diagnoses (DSM and ICD-10) leading to the hypothesis that PTSD may be the fitting diagnosis. These above generated symptom groups ( groups 1 to 5 in Table 1) fall psychiatrically under the DSM category "anxiety disordersÒ. The groupings or parts of these are described under the diagnosis "post-traumatic stress disorderÒ (PTSD), but also under "generalised anxiety disorderÒ (GAD).

Examining the diagnostic criteria for "generalised anxiety disorder" (300.02 D in the manual), we find the factor groups 4, 6, and 7 amongst the DSM group "motor tension"; factor groups 2 and 3 in the DSM group "autonomic hyperactivity"; and factor groups 1 and 5 in the DSM group "vigilance and scanning". The diagnostic criteria for "post-traumatic stress disorder" (309.89 D in the manual) corresponds to factor groups 1 and 5. In the ICD-10, published by the WHO, these diagnoses are similarely discribed.

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