Relations of Work Stress to Alcohol Use and Drinking Problems in Male and Female Employees of a Computer Factory in Japan

To examine the effects of work stressors on alcohol use and drinking problems as well as a model of stress-induced drinking in Japanese male and female workers, a total of 2581 employees of a computer factory were surveyed using mailed questionnaires. Five psychosocial work stressors, overtime, rotating shift, frequency of drinking, amount of alcohol consumed per drinking occasion, and drinking problems, and depressive symptoms were assessed. The hierarchical linear and logistic regression analyses were conducted in 1043 male and 255 female current drinkers aged 20 years or older. The results suggested that overtime and lack of intrinsic work rewards are main factors for heavy and problem drinking in Japanese male workers and that ambiguity about job future is a factor for heavy drinking in Japanese female workers. However, the model of stress-induced drinking was supported neither in males nor in females, suggesting that the effects of these work stressors on heavy and problem drinking are not mediated by depressive symptoms.