The present study investigated sense of coherence (SOC) as a protective factor among targets of
workplace bullying. A hypothesis that strong SOC lessens the relationship between exposure to
bullying and symptoms of posttraumatic stress was tested in a cross-sectional sample of 221
self-labeled targets of workplace bullying. The findings showed that SOC offers most protective
benefits to targets exposed to low levels of bullying, whereas the benefits of SOC diminish as
bullying becomes more severe. The results support previous findings that workplace bullying is
a traumatic experience for those exposed to it, regardless of the target’s available coping
resources