# Associations between occupational stress, work–family imbalance, and harmful alcohol consumption among workers: A longitudinal study

## TL;DR

This study shows that high work-to-family stress and low workload are linked to harmful alcohol use among Japanese workers over time.

## Contribution

The study provides longitudinal evidence on how occupational stress and work–family imbalance influence harmful alcohol consumption.

## Key findings

- Higher negative work-to-family spillover is significantly associated with harmful alcohol consumption.
- Lower quantitative workload is also significantly linked to harmful alcohol consumption.
- 10.6% of participants were classified as having harmful alcohol consumption.

## Abstract

This study aimed to longitudinally examine the effects of occupational stress and bidirectional work–family spillover on harmful alcohol consumption (HAC) among workers.

We conducted online surveys in December 2020 and June 2021 among Japanese workers aged 20–65. The follow‐up survey targeted participants from the initial wave and yielded 824 responses. After excluding individuals with an Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT) score of 8 or higher at baseline, the final analysis included 640 participants. The study measured HAC using AUDIT. Researchers assessed bidirectional work–family spillover (positive and negative) using the Japanese version of the Survey Work–Home Interaction—NijmeGen (SWING‐J). They measured occupational stress factors, including quantitative workload, job control, supervisor support, and coworker support, using the Japanese version of the Generic Job Stress Questionnaire (GJSQ). Participants were categorized into the HAC and non‐HAC groups based on follow‐up AUDIT scores. We conducted a logistic regression analysis using the stepwise method.

A total of 68 participants (10.6%) were classified into the HAC group, and 572 (89.4%) into the non‐HAC group. The logistic regression analysis showed that higher negative work‐to‐family spillover scores (OR = 1.10, 95% CI = 1.04–1.17) and lower quantitative workload scores (OR = 0.93, 95% CI = 0.89–0.98) are significantly associated with HAC.

Understanding the causal relationships between occupational stress, work–family dynamics, and HAC can help inform more effective prevention strategies for problematic alcohol use among workers.