Recent national studies on the labor force have shown that “Americans are moving toward a 24-hour, 7-day-a-week economy. Two-fifths of all employed Americans work mostly during the evenings or nights, on rotating shifts, or on weekends.” (Presser, 1999) New advances in neuroscience indicate that the various forms of nonstandard work schedule can create three sources of stress: disruption of circadian rhythms, sleep disruption and fatigue, and social and domestic disturbances. These stressors may interact with other factors and have adverse consequences for the health, performance, and safety of the worker (U.S. Congress, OTA, 1991). Is a nonstandard work schedule associated with an increased risk of having an alcohol use disorder? How does this relationship differ between men and women? These are the questions to be addressed in this study.
Population-based data from the National Longitudinal Alcohol Epidemiologic Survey (1992) were analyzed and provide both descriptive statistics and multivariate models for the 15,133 male and female respondents who were current drinkers and employed at the time of interview. The descriptive results show that the prevalence of alcohol use disorder is significantly higher among both male and female workers on evening, night, and split shifts than among their counterparts working on a regular daytime schedule. To further assess the effect of work schedule, independent of other individual characteristics, multivariate models are estimated with control for sociodemographic variables, family history of alcoholism, age of drinking onset, and occupation. The findings and their implications for workers’ health and alcoholism prevention are discussed.
Keywords: Alcohol Problems, Workplace Stressors
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.