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Work‐related stress factors associated with problem drinking: A study of the Spanish working population
Author(s) -
Colell Esther,
SánchezNiubò Albert,
Benavides Fernando G.,
Delclos George L.,
DomingoSalvany Antònia
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
american journal of industrial medicine
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.7
H-Index - 104
eISSN - 1097-0274
pISSN - 0271-3586
DOI - 10.1002/ajim.22333
Subject(s) - medicine , context (archaeology) , occupational stress , environmental health , cross sectional study , occupational safety and health , binge drinking , social environment , occupational medicine , population , work stress , alcohol abuse , injury prevention , demography , poison control , psychiatry , clinical psychology , occupational exposure , work (physics) , pathology , paleontology , mechanical engineering , sociology , political science , law , biology , engineering
Background Workers may drink to cope with stress or to overcome negative emotions arising from an aversive working context, but results of previous studies are inconclusive on the specific work features affecting alcohol use. Methods A cross‐sectional study was designed with data on 13,005 working individuals from the Household Survey on Alcohol and Drugs in Spain (EDADES)‐2007. We examined the associations between two drinking patterns and four measures of work‐related stress factors. Results Moderate and high levels of exposure to a noxious working environment (OR = 2.15 [95% CI = 1.51–3.06] and OR = 2.23 [95% CI = 1.49–3.36]) and a high level of lack of social support (OR = 1.62 [95% CI = 1.16–2.28]) were associated with heavy drinking, and precariousness with binge drinking for both moderate (OR = 1.22 [95% CI = 1.01–1.46]) and high (OR = 1.33 [95% CI = 1.04–1.70]) levels (OR = 1.21; 95% CI = 1.04–1.40) in men. Significant associations among women were only found when stress factors were analyzed separately. Conclusions Preventive practices in the workplace targeting alcohol abuse should consider specific production processes and organizational features. Am. J. Ind. Med. 57:837–846, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.