Research on stress and well-being in Higher Education Institutions (HEI) has often highlighted high stress levels, but only recently the relationship between stress, working conditions and unethical behaviours have been the focus of investigation. In a study conducted as part of a psychosocial risk assessment within a medium sized Italian university we investigated explicitly the relationship between stress, well-being and incivility in the workplace. The study was conducted with an online survey, involving a total of 702 employees, 351 administrative and technicians (PTA), and 351 faculty. The questionnaire included standardized scales to measure stress factors (HSE) and perceived stress (PSS) and a scale for determining the occurrence of uncivil behaviour, both perceived and perpetrated.
Perceived stress levels were associated with worse working conditions with respect to demands, role definitions and relationships in the workplace. Perceived stress and perceived occurrence of incivility were both significant predictors of perpetrated incivility. Among the work-organizational factors, work demands, control on work, peer support, relationships and role were associated with perpetrated incivility, but only when perceived stress and perceived incivility were not controlled for. A structural equation model revealed that the effects of demands on perpetrated incivility was fully mediated by perceived stress and perceived incivility, while the effect of relationships was partially mediated by perceived invincibility.