The Impact of Workplace Gaslighting on Mental Health and Professional Life of Actors

OBJECTIVE To examine the association between workplace gaslighting and actors’ mental health and professional life in Greece. METHOD We carried out a cross-sectional study in Greece and collected data through an online survey conducted from April 2026 to July 2026. The questionnaire was developed using Google Forms and distributed via social media platforms, including actors groups on Facebook and Instagram. We employed a convenience sample of actors in our study. We used the Gaslighting at Work Scale (GWS) to measure levels of workplace gaslighting among our actors. We used the Patient Health Questionnaire-4, the single item job burnout scale, and the single item turnover intention scale to measure anxiety, depression, job burnout, and turnover intention, respectively. RESULTS The study population included 512 actors. Among them, 56.1% were females and 43.9% were males. Mean age of actors was 36.1 years. In our sample, 77.1% (n=395) experienced high levels of workplace gaslighting. After adjustment for gender, age, and work experience we found a positive association between score on the GWS and anxiety (b = 0.793, 95% CI = 0.639 to 0.948, p<0.001), and depression (b = 0.873, 95% CI = 0.711 to 1.035, p<0.001). In other words, actors who experienced higher levels of gaslighting behaviors from their supervisors had also more anxiety and depressive symptoms. After eliminating confounding factors, we found a positive association between score on the GWS and job burnout (b = 0.853, 95% CI = 0.576 to 1.130, p<0.001). Moreover, we found a positive association between score on the GWS and turnover intention (b = 0.725, 95% CI = 0.569 to 0.881, p<0.001). In other words, workplace gaslighting increased levels of job burnout and turnover intention among our actors. CONCLUSIONS Our findings suggested that actors who experience higher levels of gaslighting behaviors from their supervisors have also more anxiety and depressive symptoms. Moreover, workplace gaslighting increases levels of job burnout and turnover intention.