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Workplace harassment, stress, and drinking behavior over time: gender differences in a national sample
Kathleen M Rospenda1, Kaori Fujishiro, Candice A Shannon
1Department of Psychiatry, University of Illinois at Chicago, 1601 W. Taylor Street, 4th floor, Chicago, IL 60612, USA. krospenda@psych.uic.edu <krospenda@psych.uic.edu>
Addictive Behaviors
|April 4, 2008
Summary
Workplace harassment, including sexual harassment (SH) and generalized workplace harassment (GWH), predicts problem drinking in men but not women. Life stress impacts women
Area of Science:
- Occupational Health
- Psychology
- Sociology
Background:
- Workplace harassment (WH) is linked to alcohol use and problem drinking.
- Previous research often overlooks concurrent stressors like job and life stress.
- The influence of different stressors on drinking behaviors requires further investigation, especially considering gender differences.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine if sexual harassment (SH) and generalized workplace harassment (GWH) predict increased problem drinking independently of job and life stress.
- To determine if these associations differ by gender.
- To analyze these relationships in a nationally representative sample.
Main Methods:
- A two-wave longitudinal study was conducted with 1418 participants.
- Data were collected on experiences of SH, GWH, job stress, life stress, and problem drinking.
- Statistical analyses were used to assess the predictive relationships between stressors and drinking outcomes over one year.
Main Results:
- SH and GWH predicted increased problem drinking one year later for men.
- No significant association was found between SH/GWH and problem drinking for women.
- Life stress was associated with increased problem drinking for women but not for men.
Conclusions:
- Workplace harassment is a significant predictor of problem drinking in men, independent of other life stressors.
- Life stress is a significant predictor of problem drinking in women, independent of workplace harassment.
- The study highlights the importance of considering gendered contexts when examining the links between various stressors and drinking-related outcomes.
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