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Job stress, unwinding and drinking in transit operators
William P Delaney1, Joel W Grube, Birgit Greiner
1Prevention Research Center, Berkeley, California 94704, USA.
Journal of Studies on Alcohol
|August 6, 2002
Summary
Work stress increases after-work drinking by prolonging the time it takes to unwind. Job problems and skipped meals contribute to longer unwinding times, indirectly boosting alcohol consumption and leading to drinking problems.
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health Psychology
- Addiction Research
- Stress and Coping Mechanisms
Background:
- Work stress is a significant factor impacting employee well-being.
- The spillover effect describes how work-life domains influence each other.
- Understanding the mechanisms linking work stress to alcohol consumption is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To test the spillover model of work stress on after-work drinking.
- To examine the mediating role of 'length of time to unwind' in this relationship.
- To investigate the links between job stressors, unwinding time, alcohol consumption, and drinking problems.
Main Methods:
- Latent variable structural equation modeling was used.
- 1,208 transit operators provided complete data.
- The study analyzed job problems, skipped meals, supervisor support, unwinding time, alcohol consumption, and drinking problems.
Main Results:
- Skipped meals and daily job problems increased the length of time to unwind.
- Longer unwinding times indirectly increased overall drinking.
- Overall drinking was positively associated with drinking problems.
Conclusions:
- Preliminary support for 'length of time to unwind' as a mediator in the stress-drinking relationship.
- Introduced a novel mediator linking job stress to alcohol consumption.
- Provides empirical evidence for the spillover model in work stress and alcohol use.