Job strain and drinking behavior

The aim of this survey study was to explore the influence of work on individual's drinking behavior. From October 1994 to March 1995, the present researchers implemented a self-administered questionnaire survey on workers in the manufacturing sector in Metropolitan Kaohsiung area, southern Taiwan. Of the 1,117 subjects selected, 668 (61.8%) stated that they had had one or more drinks during the preceding month. The average daily consumption of alcohol was 0.2 +/- 0.9 drinks (with a range of 0 to 12 drinks and a median of 0.02 drinks). In addition, 188 (28.8%) of the subjects reported having experienced drinking-related problems during the preceding month, and 35 respondents (5.2%) gave escape from job stress as the reason for their drinking in the preceding month. The result of multivariate analyses showed that workers who reported less autonomy in their job were more likely to experience drinking-related problems (odds ratio [OR] = 1.3) and to drinking for psychological relief (OR = 1.2); that workers who reported more demanding job conditions were more likely to drink for escape (OR = 2.5) but had lower levels of drinking (t = -2.5, p = 0.01); and that workers who reported high levels of job strain were more likely to experience drinking-related problems and to drink for relief but had lower levels of drinking. The details and implications of this result will be discussed.