Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #118113

G. Shawn Reynolds, PhD, Institute of Behavioral Research, Texas Christian University, c/o CWS, P.M.B. K I A, Accra, Ghana, 233-244-949-682, shawnreynolds@mail.com

This research tested the hypothesis that alcohol-tolerance norms and safety climate moderate the cognitive effects of workplace substance abuse prevention. Municipal employees from 72 workgroups in a large U.S. city attended Team Awareness (n=116), informational training (n=117), or no training (n=114). Questionnaire measures of alcohol-tolerance norms, safety climate, policy knowledge, and policy-efficacy beliefs were assessed 2-to-4 weeks before and after training. Hierarchical regression analyses showed that alcohol-tolerance norms, safety climate, and training interacted to affect beliefs about policy effectiveness after accounting for trainee demographics, education-level, and pre-training differences in policy beliefs (ΔR² = .014, F_Δ (2, 329) = 3.71, p < .05). In safe climates, employees from alcohol-tolerant workgroups rated policy as more effective following team (β = .24, SE = .18, p = .04), and informational training (β = .31, SE = .18, p = .011) relative to untrained-employee ratings, but temperate workgroups rated policy as less effective after the team (β = –.12) and informational training (β = –.17). Informational training was associated with significant increases in policy knowledge (β = .21, SE = .02, p = .014) for alcohol-tolerant workgroups, but was ineffective for temperate workgroups. Team Awareness increased policy knowledge among temperate workgroups (β = .27, SE = .02, p < .001). To increase the effectiveness of workplace substance abuse policy and the EAP, training should be tailored to workgroup factors. Temperate groups learn more when policy information is accompanied by stress-and-stigma-reducing activities. Safety awareness also enhances motivation to learn for employees from temperate workgroups.

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