Corresponding Author

  • Mohamad Shahril Mohamad Besir

    • Universiti Teknologi MARA, Puncak Alam, Malaysia
    • Malaysia

Author

  • Saadiah Juliana Saadun

    • Universiti Teknologi MARA, Puncak Alam, Malaysia
    • Malaysia

  • Nor Zaihan Mat Hasan Mat Hussin

    • Universiti Teknologi MARA, Puncak Alam, Malaysia
    • Malaysia

  • Siti Noraini Mohd Tobi

    • Universiti Teknologi MARA, Puncak Alam, Malaysia
    • Malaysia

  • Hendrikus Kadang

    • Universitas Atma Jaya Makassar, Indonesia
    • Indonesia

Abstract

Workplace harassment poses a significant threat to the psychological well-being of internship students, yet limited evidence exists on whether gender shapes this relationship in Malaysian organizational contexts. This study examined the relationship between workplace harassment and anxiety among internship students in Malaysia and evaluated the moderating role of gender. A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 247 internship students from the Faculty of Business and Management, Universiti Teknologi MARA. Workplace harassment was measured using three dimensions: workplace bullying, abusive supervision, and interpersonal conflict, while anxiety was assessed using the Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7). Pearson correlation analysis showed that all harassment dimensions were positively and significantly related to anxiety: bullying (r = .367, p < .001), abusive supervision (r = .386, p < .001), and interpersonal conflict (r = .376, p < .001). The composite harassment scores also demonstrated a significant positive association with anxiety (r = .420, p < .001). Hierarchical moderated regression analysis revealed that workplace harassment significantly predicted anxiety (b = .621, p < .001, R² = .188). However, the interaction between workplace harassment and gender was non-significant (b = −.163, p = .452), indicating that gender did not moderate the relationship. The findings suggest that workplace harassment is a substantial predictor of anxiety among interns regardless of gender. Universities and host organizations should implement gender-inclusive anti-harassment policies and psychological support mechanisms to safeguard interns’ well-being.

Keywords

References

  • Abdullah, N. A., Zulkifli, N., & Hassan, R. (2022). Organizational culture and workplace harassment disclosure in Malaysian public sector organizations: The mediating role of psychological safety. Asian Journal of Business and Accounting, 15(1), 87–118.
  • Ahmad, S., Kalok, A., Basri, M., Md Zain, A. Z., Sharip, S., Abd Hamid, S. R., & Wan Puteh, S. E. (2021). Students’ perception of e-learning during the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on mental health. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(21), 11500.
  • Ariza-Montes, A., Molina-Sánchez, H., Ramírez-Sobrino, J., & Giorgi, G. (2020). Conceptualization and measurement of workplace bullying in Spain: A systematic review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(16), 5838. DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16173016
  • Cohen, J., Cohen, P., West, S. G., & Aiken, L. S. (2003). Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences (3rd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
  • Einarsen, S., Hoel, H., Zapf, D., & Cooper, C. L. (2020). The concept of bullying and harassment at work: The European tradition. In S. Einarsen, H. Hoel, D. Zapf, & C. L. Cooper (Eds.), Bullying and harassment in the workplace: Theory, research and practice (3rd ed., pp. 3–53). CRC Press/Taylor & Francis. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1201/9780429462528-2
  • Gershon, A., Minor, K., & Hayward, C. (2008). Gender, victimization, and psychiatric outcomes. Psychological Medicine, 38(10), 1377-1391. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S0033291708003000
  • Giorgi, G., Lecca, L. I., Alessio, F., Finstad, G. L., Bondanini, G., Lulli, L. G., Arcangeli, G., & Mucci, N. (2020). COVID-19-related mental health effects in the workplace: A narrative review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(21), 7857. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17217857 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17217857
  • Hamid, S. A., Nordin, N., Ahmad, N., & Othman, N. (2020). Hierarchical culture and voice behavior in Malaysian higher education: The mediating role of organizational identification. Asian Journal of University Education, 16(3), 42–53.
  • Hobfoll, S. E. (1989). Conservation of resources: A new attempt at conceptualizing stress. American psychologist, 44(3), 513. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0003-066X.44.3.513
  • Hobfoll, S. E., Halbesleben, J., Neveu, J.-P., & Westman, M. (2018). Conservation of resources in the organizational context: The reality of resources and their consequences. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 5(1), 103–128. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032117-104640 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032117-104640
  • Kwan, H. K., Zhang, X., Liu, J., & Lee, C. (2018). Workplace ostracism and employee creativity: An integrative approach incorporating pragmatic and engagement roles. Journal of Applied Psychology, 103(12), 1358–1366. https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000320 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/apl0000320
  • Lakens, D. (2022). Sample size justification. Collabra: Psychology, 8(1), 33267. https://doi.org/10.1525/collabra.33267 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1525/collabra.33267
  • Lian, H., Yam, K. C., Ferris, D. L., & Brown, D. (2022). Self-control at work. Academy of Management Annals, 16(1), 250–290. https://doi.org/10.5465/annals.2015.0126 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5465/annals.2015.0126
  • Liu, C., Zhu, D., & Wang, M. (2020). Gender differences in the relationship between workplace mistreatment and employee anxiety: A meta-analytic review. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 25(4), 231–248.
  • Löwe, B., Decker, O., Müller, S., Brähler, E., Schellberg, D., Herzog, W., & Herzberg, P. Y. (2021). Validation and standardization of the generalized anxiety disorder screener (GAD-7) in the general population. Medical Care, 59(S3), S27–S34. https://doi.org/10.1097/MLR.0b013e318160d093 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1097/MLR.0b013e318160d093
  • Mackey, J. D., McAllister, C. P., Ellen, B. P., & Alexander, K. C. (2021). A meta-analysis of interpersonal and organizational outcomes of workplace incivility. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 26(6), 537–554.
  • McDonald, P., Charlesworth, S., & Silverman, B. G. (2021). Gender, power and organizational context: A systematic review of workplace harassment research, 2010–2020. Gender, Work and Organization, 28(3), 954–977.
  • Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia. (2023). Malaysian education statistics 2023: Quick facts. Ministry of Higher Education. https://www.mohe.gov.my/en/download/statistics
  • Munn, S. L., & Munn, M. (2020). Work–family conflict and gender: A meta-analysis of the moderating role of occupational type and family status. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 119, 103426.
  • Nielsen, M. B., Einarsen, S. V., Notelaers, G., & Nielsen, G. H. (2020). Does exposure to bullying behaviors at the workplace contribute to later suicidal ideation? A three-wave longitudinal study. Scandinavian Journal of Work, Environment & Health, 46(6), 622–631. https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.3554 DOI: https://doi.org/10.5271/sjweh.3554
  • Podsakoff, P. M., MacKenzie, S. B., & Podsakoff, N. P. (2020). Sources of method bias in social science research and recommendations on how to control it. Annual Review of Psychology, 63(1), 539–569. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-120710-100452 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-120710-100452
  • Rahim, N. A., Mohd Soffian, S. S., Che Nawi, N. H., Ahmad Tarmizi, R. & Mustaffa, N. (2023). Perceived workplace stress and mental health of Malaysian university interns: A cross-sectional study. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1092474.
  • Rajgopal, T. (2020). Mental well-being at the workplace. Indian Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine, 24(1), 3–11. https://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5278.75691 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4103/0019-5278.75691
  • Rutter, L. A., Dodell-Feder, D., Vahia, I. V., Forester, B., & Ressler, K. J. (2021). Prevalence and clinical significance of subthreshold anxiety in older adults: A community-based cross-sectional study. American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 29(2), 131–141.
  • Salihu, M. J., & Shehu, Y. (2022). Perceived academic stress, anxiety and coping strategies among undergraduate students. Journal of Mental Health and Social Behavior, 4(1), 146–153.
  • Samnani, A. K., & Singh, P. (2021). 20 years of workplace bullying research: A review of the antecedents and consequences of bullying in the workplace. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 16(6), 581–589. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2021.101609 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2012.08.004
  • Sekaran, U., & Bougie, R. (2022). Research methods for business: A skill-building approach (9th ed.). Wiley.
  • Spector, P. E., Coulter, M. L., Stockwell, H. G., & Matz, M. W. (2021). Perceived violence climate: A new construct and its relationship to workplace physical violence. Work & Stress, 21(2), 117–130. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678370701410007 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02678370701410007
  • Tepper, B. J., Simon, L., & Park, H. M. (2020). Abusive supervision. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 4(1), 123–152. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-041015-062539 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-041015-062539
  • Tran, T. T. T., & Nguyen, L. T. (2021). Internship outcomes and career competencies of business graduates: A study in Vietnam. Education and Training, 63(9), 1345–1362.
  • Yusoff, R. M., Kian, T. S., & Idris, M. T. M. (2021). Herzberg’s two-factor theory on work motivation: Does it work for today's environment? Global Journal of Commerce and Management Perspective, 2(5), 18–22.

Downloads

Full-text downloads recorded for this article, by month.

No downloads have been recorded for this article yet. Figures appear here once readers begin downloading the full text.

How to Cite

Mohamad Besir, M. S., Saadun, S. J., Mat Hussin, N. Z. M. H., Mohd Tobi, S. N., & Kadang, H. (2026). Workplace Harassment and Anxiety Among Internship Students in Malaysia: The Moderating Role of Gender. Information Management and Business Review, 18(4(I), 105-112. https://doi.org/10.22610/imbr.v18i4(I).4961

Share this article

License

Copyright (c) 2026 Mohamad Shahril Mohamad Besir (Corresponding Author); Saadiah Juliana Saadun, Nor Zaihan Mat Hasan Mat Hussin, Siti Noraini Mohd Tobi, Hendrikus Kadang (Author)

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Author (s) should affirm that the material has not been published previously. It has not been submitted and it is not under consideration by any other journal. At the same time author (s) need to execute a publication permission agreement to assume the responsibility of the submitted content and any omissions and errors therein. After submission of revised paper in the light of suggestions of the reviewers, the editorial team  edits and formats manuscripts to bring uniformity and standardization in published material.

This work will be licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) and under condition of the license, users are free to read, copy, remix, transform, redistribute, download, print, search or link to the full texts of articles and even build upon their work as long as they credit the author for the original work. Moreover, as per journal policy author (s) hold and retain copyrights without any restrictions.

Keywords

Section

Research Paper

Published in

Vol. 18 No. 4(I) (2026) Title unavailable View issue contents

Published

2026-10-26

Submissions

Have research to publish? Information Management and Business Review welcomes submissions.

Make a Submission