Workplace responsibility, stress, alcohol availability and norms as predictors of alcohol consumption-related problems among employed workers

Relationship between alcohol consumption, stress, and depression in Ecuadorian workers: the moderating role of social support and sex

This paper aims to analyze the association between alcohol consumption, work stress, and depression and the moderating effect of social support and sex in this relationship. In a sample of workers from an electric generation industry from Ecuador (N = 99), hierarchical linear regressions were conducted to test the direct and moderation effects. Results show that alcohol consumption is positively associated with work stress and depression; social support moderates alcohol consumption's impact on depression but not on stress. This interaction effect is different according to sex. Further, an increase in alcohol consumption is associated with higher stress in women but not in men, and it relates to higher depression in men but not in women. Finally, we discuss the role of sex and social support as key factors to cope with the adverse effects of alcohol on well-being at work.

Are workplace factors associated with employee alcohol use? The WIRUS cross-sectional study

OBJECTIVES

Sociodemographic predictors of employee alcohol use are well established in the literature, but knowledge about associations between workplace factors and alcohol use is less explored. The aim of this study was to explore whether workplace factors were associated with employee alcohol use (consumption and alcohol-related problems).

DESIGN

Cross-sectional study. Linear and binary logistic regression analyses.

SETTING

Heterogeneous sample of employees (workers and supervisors) from 22 companies across geographical locations and work divisions in Norway.

PARTICIPANTS

Employees (N=5388) responded on survey items measuring workplace factors and alcohol use.

OUTCOMES

Data on alcohol use were collected with the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Consumption was measured with the AUDIT-C (the first three items), and alcohol-related problems were operationalised as a sum score of 8 or higher on the full 10-item AUDIT.

RESULTS

Higher levels of alcohol consumption were associated with more liberal workplace drinking social norms (b=1.37, p<0.001), working full-time (b=0.18, p<0.001), working from holiday home (b=0.40, p<0.01), being a supervisor (b=0.25, p<0.001), having supervisors with less desired leadership qualities (b=-0.10, p<0.01), shorter working hours (b=-0.03, p<0.05), higher workplace social support (b=0.13, p<0.05) and higher income (b=0.02, p<0.001). Alcohol-related problems were associated with more liberal workplace drinking social norms (OR=3.52, p<0.001) and shorter working hours (OR=0.94, p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS

Workplace drinking social norms were the supremely most dominant predictor of both consumption and alcohol-related problems. Results suggest that some workplace factors may play a role in explaining employee alcohol consumption, although the predictive ability of these factors was limited. This study points to the importance of drinking social norms, workplace drinking culture and leadership for understanding employee alcohol use.

Swedish Managers' and HR-Officers' Experiences and Perceptions of Participating in Alcohol Prevention Skills Training: A Qualitative Study

Objective

The objective of this study was to explore Swedish managers' and HR-officers' experiences and perceptions of skills training including a development and implementation of an alcohol policy.

Methods

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with Swedish managers (n = 44) and HR-officers (n = 9) from nine different organizations whom had received skills training and an organizational policy implementation. The interviews were analyzed using thematic analyses.

Results

In total, nine themes were identified as: The prevalence of alcohol problems: a wake-up call; a reminder to intervene immediately; an altered view of the responsibility of the employer; initiating conversations about alcohol: a useful toolbox; an imprecise, yet positive, memory; increased awareness of issues related to alcohol culture; I have not heard a word about a new alcohol policy; the alcohol policy: a mere piece of paper; and alcohol problem prevention: hardly a low-hanging fruit. Participants' experiences of the skills training were positive overall.

Conclusion

Various aspects of the skills training were appreciated by managers and HR-officers, including insight of prevalence statistics and employer responsibilities. Participants emphasized the value of repeated skills training occasions for retaining knowledge. Future research may investigate further in what way skills training may affect managers' willingness to engage in workplace alcohol prevention. Since the implementation of any policy had gone unnoticed to participants, a reason for which could be related to the notion of the existing policy as "good enough" in its current condition, implementation and organizational issues, or a reluctance to address alcohol-related matters unless necessary; future research may focus on investigating in what manner alcohol policies are in fact utilized within organizations.

Influence of alcohol provocation on medical professionals in Taiwan: A qualitative study

There is a paucity of research on the issue of alcohol provocation in the medical field. While studies have been performed concerning alcohol abuse among students, no studies have concentrated on alcohol provocation among medical professionals. Therefore, it is essential to look at the underlying factors that may influence alcohol use by medical professionals. A qualitative study using focus groups was conducted to construct themes depicting medical professionals' experiences of alcohol provocation. Physicians (n = 32) and residents (n = 29) were recruited from a large teaching hospital in Taiwan. The volunteers included both subjects and instigators of alcohol provocation (individuals being pressured to drink and those who exert such pressure on others). A questionnaire on their alcohol use was used to quantitatively assess the prevalence of alcohol consumption and inebriation. The participants were then interviewed separately in groups. All interview data were recorded, transcribed and analysed thematically. A notable prevalence of recent alcohol consumption was observed in both the physicians (n = 18, 56%) and residents (n = 17, 59%). Three prominent themes were identified and summarized: (1) Social drinking in the Taiwanese medical profession (2) Workplace hierarchy and changes in drinking culture, and (3) Influence on the medical profession. The behaviour of alcohol provocation among these medical professionals was revealed with its underlying factors of specific cultural norms, workplace hierarchy and social expectations. An understanding of alcohol provocation helps increase the awareness of adverse consequences associated with alcohol provocation, encourage medical professionals to avoid inappropriate drinking behaviors, and reduce the risk of compromising medical professionalism.

Binge Drinking Among Public Sector Food Service Workers in Brazil: Physical and Psychosocial Demands on Focus

OBJECTIVE

To investigate occupational risk factors associated with binge drinking (BD) among public sector food service workers in a Brazilian capital.

METHODS

All workers from the Government-backed Economy Restaurant Program (GbERP) in Belo Horizonte city were evaluated. BD was defined as consumption of five or more doses (male) or four or more doses (female) of alcoholic beverages on a single occasion within 30 days. Occupational psychosocial and physical stressors were the main exposure variables; sociodemographic, health, and lifestyle variables were inserted as potential confounding factors. We performed logistic regression.

RESULTS

A total of 214 people participated in the study and 30.7% reported BD. Psychosocial (violence and high demands) and ergonomic aspects were associated with the outcome.

CONCLUSION

There was a high prevalence of BD among GbERP workers. Actions are necessary to reduce violence and high strain and consequently BD.

The prevalence of hazardous and harmful alcohol use across trauma-exposed occupations: A meta-analysis and meta-regression

BACKGROUND

Trauma exposure is associated with hazardous and/or harmful alcohol use. Occupational groups frequently exposed to trauma may be at risk of alcohol harm. This meta-analysis determined the prevalence of hazardous and harmful alcohol use across trauma-exposed occupations and meta-regressions explored the impact of pre-defined covariates on the variance in prevalence estimates.

METHOD

Literature was searched from 2000 to March 2020, using Scopus, Web of Science and PsycINFO. Studies were included in the meta-analysis if they used a standardized measure of alcohol use (e.g., Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT)). Studies were excluded if they measured alcohol use following an isolated sentinel event (e.g., 9/11). The following occupations were included: first responders, health care workers, Armed Forces, war journalists and train drivers.

RESULTS

1882 studies were identified; 55 studies were eligible. The pooled prevalence of hazardous use was 22% (95% Confidence Intervals [CI]: 17%-27%) and 11% (95% CI: 8%-14%) for harmful use. Hazardous alcohol use was significantly lower in health care workers (13%; 95% CI: 10%-16%) than first responders (26%; 95% CI: 20%-32%) and Armed Forces (34%; 95% CI: 18%-52%). There was marked heterogeneity across studies and higher prevalence rates in low-quality studies. The meta-regression identified higher proportion of males and younger mean age as predictors of variance.

CONCLUSIONS

Male-dominated occupations, such as police officers and military personnel, showed higher levels of hazardous and harmful alcohol use, indicating that interventions tailored specifically for these occupational groups may be needed.

Alcohol intoxication incidence differences at companies in Lithuania

INTRODUCTION

Employee alcohol consumption is a major challenge to both the health of the employee and productivity of the company. Our study investigates the overall alcohol intoxication rates of employees at companies in Lithuania, alcohol intoxication incidence rates during the work week and associations between company variables and employee alcohol intoxication at work.

METHODS

Data for our study were collected at 153 different companies in Lithuania during the year 2018. Overall 2 455 997 alcohol breath tests were analysed. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics and Poisson regression analysis.

RESULTS

Descriptive statistics showed that the alcohol intoxication (blood alcohol concentration ≥ 0.01%) incidence rate was 0.31% (n = 7535). Average alcohol intoxication was 0.04%. Furthermore, higher alcohol intoxication incidence rates were found on Mondays and in the morning than at any other day or time. The results of Poisson regression analysis showed that the alcohol intoxication incidence rate ratios were highest among small companies, companies from the farming sector and companies from rural areas.

DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS

We found a relationship between company variables, testing time and incidence rates of alcohol intoxication. The increased alcohol intoxication at work throughout the weekend and on Monday is consistent with the alcohol consumption patterns in the Lithuanian population. Relatively low alcohol intoxication rate for the majority of the positively tested cases may indicate consumption of small amounts of alcohol just before starting work or excessive alcohol consumption the day before. Our findings could be an indicator of an underlying problem and have implications for alcohol prevention strategies.

Gender Differences in the Association between Positive Drinking Attitudes and Alcohol-Related Problems. The WIRUS Study

Background: Alcohol consumption is deeply integrated in people's social- and work lives and, thus, constitutes a serious public health challenge. Attitudes toward drinking stand out as important predictors of drinking, but have to date been sparsely studied in employee populations. This study explores the association of employees' attitudes toward drinking with their alcohol-related problems, and whether this association is moderated by gender and employment sector. Methods: Cross-sectional data were collected from a heterogeneous sample of employees (N = 4094) at 19 Norwegian companies. Drinking attitudes were assessed using the Drinking Norms Scale. The AUDIT (Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test) scale was then used to assess any alcohol-related problems. Data were analyzed using chi-square tests, analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), and multiple logistic regression. Results: Employees with predominantly positive drinking attitudes were almost three times as likely to report alcohol-related problems compared to employees with more negative drinking attitudes (OR = 2.75; 95% CI: 2.00-3.76). Gender moderated the association between positive drinking attitudes and alcohol-related problems (OR = 3.30; 95% CI: 2.10-5.21). The association was stronger in women (OR = 5.21; 95% CI: 3.34-8.15) than in men (OR = 3.10; 95% CI: 2.11-4.55). Employment sector did not moderate the association between drinking attitudes and alcohol-related problems. Conclusions: Employee attitudes toward alcohol should be monitored to better enable early workplace health promotion interventions targeting alcohol problems. These interventions might need to be gender-specific.

Employee Psychoactive Substance Involvement: Historical Context, Key Findings, and Future Directions

Humans have consumed psychoactive substances for millennia, and these substances have played an important role in human culture and human labor. This article investigates our current understanding of the general association between the workplace and employee involvement with psychoactive substances. I begin by briefly exploring the broad evolutionary and historical intersection of psychoactive substances, human culture, and human labor. I then outline the multidimensional nature of employee psychoactive substance involvement and look at its prevalence. Next, I summarize recent research on workplace antecedents, such as work stressors, substance availability, norms, and social control. I then summarize research on the adverse workplace outcomes experienced by employees who use psychoactive substances as well as the collateral effects of such use on coworkers. Throughout the article, I identify directions for future research.

Directly alcohol-attributable mortality by industry and occupation in a Spanish Census cohort of economically active population

AIMS

To assess disparities in directly alcohol-attributable (DAA) mortality by industry/occupation in Spain during 2002-2011 and the contribution of different socio-demographic factors, including socioeconomic position, to explain such disparity.

METHODS

Nationwide cohort study covering 16 million economically active people living in Spain in 2001. Deaths at age 25-64 were analyzed. Subjects were classified by employment status, industry and occupation at baseline. Poisson regression models were built, calculating rate ratios (RRs) compared to all employees or those in the education sector.

RESULTS

DAA mortality was much higher in the unemployed than in employees (Crude RR: 2.4; 95% CI: 2.3-2.6) and varied widely across industries/occupations. Crude RRs>3.0 (p<0.05) compared to teachers were found in employees in extractive industries/fishing, agriculture/livestock, construction, catering/accommodation and protective services. Socio-demographic factors, especially age, gender and educational attainment contributed more to explain risk disparities than other factors or potential selection bias. However, after exhaustive sociodemographic adjustment, including education attainment and material wealth, a RR>1.33 (p<0.05) remained in unemployed, catering/accommodation employees and unskilled construction workers. RRs were significantly larger in women than men (p<0.05) among mineworkers/fishworkers/sailors (RR=8.6 vs. 1.2) and drivers (RR=3.7 vs. 1.0).

CONCLUSIONS

The results could be extrapolated to all alcohol-attributable mortality since disparities for other strongly alcohol-related deaths, although smaller, were in the same direction. Given the wide occupational disparities in alcohol-attributable mortality, implementation of special measures to reduce this mortality in the highest risk groups is fully justified. Future research should better characterize the explanatory factors of disparities and their role in the causal chain.

Lay understanding of the causes of binge drinking in the United Kingdom and Australia: a network diagram approach

Binge drinking is associated with deleterious health, social and economic outcomes. This study explored the lay understanding of the causes of binge drinking in members of the general public in the United Kingdom and Australia. Participants in the United Kingdom (N = 133) and Australia (N = 102) completed a network diagram exercise requiring them to draw causal paths and provide path strength ratings between 12 candidate factors (24-h opening, age, alcohol advertizing, alcohol availability, boredom, drinking culture, income, low cost, parental influence, peer pressure, stress and supermarket discounts) and binge drinking. Results indicated good consistency in paths across samples, although differences in frequency and strength ratings for some paths were found. Drinking culture, peer pressure and low alcohol cost were perceived as direct causes of binge drinking in both samples. Low alcohol cost and drinking culture were most frequently viewed as direct causes of binge drinking in UK and Australian participants, respectively. Supermarket discounts and low cost of alcohol were most frequently viewed as indirect causes of binge drinking by UK and Australian samples. Findings reflect general awareness and prominence of factors affecting binge drinking in both national groups. Findings may inform the development of campaigns to promote public support policies to curb binge drinking.

Deconstructing the age-prevalence curve of alcohol dependence: why "maturing out" is only a small piece of the puzzle

Epidemiological studies have consistently demonstrated that heavy alcohol use and alcohol dependence (AD) tend to increase in adolescence and emerging adulthood and then show a large decline in the late 20s, a phenomenon called maturing out. This decline has been explained as an effect of "role incompatibility" in which involvement in new roles and activities interferes with a heavy drinking lifestyle. However, maturing out has been conceived mostly as a decrease in offset, with little attention paid to reductions in new onset or recurrence across decades of life. Moreover, although role incompatibility processes have been studied with young samples, little is known about the effect of life transitions (e.g., marriage, parenthood, changes in employment status) on AD later in life and whether similar effects are observed. Using longitudinal data from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions, a nationally representative epidemiologic survey, we examined the patterns of stability and change in AD across the life span and the differential effect of life transitions on AD across different age strata. Results showed that persistence of AD tended to increase with age, although not dramatically, and that onset and recurrence tended to decrease with age. Moreover, the effects of life transitions on the course of AD varied across the life span and were different for men and women. These results indicate that life transitions differentially affect the patterns of stability and change in younger versus older people, have a different impact for men and women, and highlight the need to consider the unique aspects of each stage of adult development on the course of AD.

Intoxicated workers: findings from a national Australian survey

AIMS

To identify prevalence of alcohol and drug use and intoxication at work.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 9,828 Australian workers ≥14 years old.

SETTING

Australia 2007.

MEASUREMENTS

Work-place alcohol use and drug use, intoxication at work, industry and occupation of employment.

DESIGN

Secondary analysis of a large nationally representative survey involving descriptive and weighted multivariate logistic regressions.

FINDINGS

Differential patterns were identified by drug type, worker characteristics and occupational setting, controlling for demographic variables. Nearly 9% of workers surveyed (8.7%) usually drank alcohol at work and 0.9% usually used drugs at work. Attending work under the influence of alcohol was more prevalent (5.6%) than attending work under the influence of drugs (2.0%), and significantly more likely among young, male, never married workers with no dependent children. Hospitality industry workers were 3.5 times more likely than other workers to drink alcohol and two to three times more likely to use drugs at work or attend work under the influence of alcohol or drugs. Other high-risk industries and occupations included construction, financial services, tradespersons and unskilled workers.

CONCLUSION

More than one in 20 Australian workers admit to having worked under the influence of alcohol and almost one in 50 report attending work under the influence of psychoactive drugs. The rates are higher for some industries, such as the hospitality industry, than others.