Psychological violence in the workplace is a major mental health issue within public higher education, university and scientific research institutions in Kisangani, Democratic Republic of Congo. This exploratory study aims to identify the specific forms of psychological violence experienced by civil servants, determine the main perpetrators and analyse the influence of certain socio-demographic characteristics on exposure to such violence. A sample of 223 employees, including administrative, technical and manual staff (PATO) and scientific staff (PS), was selected using stratified proportional sampling. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire and then processed using SPSS 27 software with percentages. The results reveal that humiliation and verbal abuse are the most frequently reported forms, followed by disparaging remarks, insults, threats of dismissal and employment blackmail, with increased vulnerability among agents aged 20 to 40, with 1 to 5 years’ seniority, holding university degrees (L2, D.E.S.) and belonging mainly to the PATO. The main perpetrators identified are colleagues and immediate superiors (department heads, directors), which highlights the role of power relations and the working environment in the emergence of this type of violence and calls for the implementation of institutional measures for prevention, awareness-raising and conflict management in order to protect the psychological health of workers.

This study analyses the mental health of scientific and administrative staff at public higher education and university institutions in Kisangani, in a context marked by frequent psychological violence in the workplace. Based on Labelle et al.’s concept of psychological distress (stress, anxiety, depression), it aims to describe levels of psychological distress and examine the influence of different forms of psychological violence (verbal abuse, humiliation, derogatory remarks, insults, intimidation, blackmail) on these dimensions. A sample of 223 agents, selected by stratified sampling from among scientific, administrative, technical and manual staff, was surveyed using a self-administered questionnaire, and the data were processed using SPSS (descriptive statistics, linear regressions). The results indicate moderate to high levels of depression (M = 47.35), stress (M = 37.77) and anxiety (M = 24.39), reflecting a worrying impact on mental health, with certain forms of psychological violence, in particular verbal violence and blackmail, contributing significantly to all three dimensions of distress. Psychological violence thus appears to be a significant factor contributing to workplace distress in these institutions, which calls for the implementation of institutional measures to prevent violence, promote workplace wellbeing and provide psychological support for staff.