Workplace mistreatment and problem drinking among physicians in Sweden: a longitudinal study

Area of Science:

• Occupational Health
• Medical Professional Well-being
• Addiction Research

Background:

• Swedish physicians report high rates of workplace mistreatment.
• Previous research links various mistreatment types to adverse alcohol use.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the impact of workplace mistreatment (threats, violence, harassment, incivility) on problem drinking among Swedish physicians.
• To analyze the association between specific forms of mistreatment and subsequent problem drinking.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the Longitudinal Occupational Health survey in Healthcare Sweden (LOHHCS).
• Included 1618 clinically active physicians aged <67 years.
• Employed logistic regressions with baseline and follow-up data (2022-2023) adjusted for confounders.

Main Results:

• Exposure to threats and violence (OR 2.78) and workplace incivility (OR 3.25) significantly predicted problem drinking.
• Harassment showed no significant association with problem drinking.
• Threats and violence remained the sole significant predictor after adjusting for co-occurring mistreatment.

Conclusions:

• Significant association found between workplace threats, violence, incivility, and subsequent problem drinking in physicians.
• Highlights the need for interventions to prevent workplace mistreatment in healthcare.
• Emphasizes the necessity of treatment and support for exposed healthcare professionals.