Co-Trajectories of Substance Use and Work Status: Longitudinal Exploratory Descriptive Findings from the CONSTANCES...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Sociology
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Understanding the interplay between substance use and employment is crucial for public health interventions.
• Previous research has often examined these factors independently, potentially missing complex co-trajectories.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify co-trajectories of substance use (alcohol, tobacco, cannabis) and work status in a large adult cohort.
• To characterize the sociodemographic and clinical profiles associated with each identified co-trajectory.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the French CONSTANCES cohort (N=19,285) with 5-year follow-up.
• Employed finite mixture models to identify clusters of co-trajectories for substance use and work status.
• Described sociodemographic factors (age, sex, social position, marital status) and self-rated health for each cluster.

Main Results:

• Identified 12 distinct clusters representing different substance use and work status trajectories.
• The lowest unemployment cluster (4.3%) was associated with low-risk drinking, non-smoking, and no cannabis use.
• Clusters with the highest unemployment rates (up to 14.5%) were linked to higher rates of smoking, occasional cannabis use, lower social position, poorer self-rated health, and higher overall substance use.

Conclusions:

• Demonstrated significant heterogeneity in the co-evolution of substance use and work status.
• Highlighted specific clusters characterized by poor health and high substance use, often linked to unemployment and lower socioeconomic status.
• Findings underscore the need for integrated approaches addressing both substance use and employment challenges.