The objective of the following article is to present the relationship between work stress and the use and / or abuse of illicit substances. Among the aspects to be addressed are the definitions of work stress and substance use, which contributes to the death of more than 120,000 Americans and costs more than 294 billion dollars (annually) in the cost of tax payments for care benefits. health, crime and loss of productivity (Johnston, O Malley and Bachman, 2002).
Another point to be discussed is the direct relationship between stress and the consumption of illicit substances, and that an increase in work stress can translate into an increase in the consumption of said substances. On the other hand, the main illicit substances associated with work stress are mentioned, which are consumed by employees of different types of companies.
Introduction
Currently, people are bombarded by the media with news such as military interventions, attacks, unemployment of workers to reduce costs, global economic crisis, etc. Technology advances in giant steps and competitiveness in the markets makes organizations demand more and more of their employees. The demands of the environment tend to exceed the adaptive capacities of the organism and in many cases can negatively affect its physiological and psychological health.
To meet these demands, people resort, in some cases, to the use of different illicit substances in order not to succumb to the different pressures of day to day. These substances cause serious conditions to the mental and physiological health of the people who consume them, damaging all areas of their life such as family, social and work.
Stress
Stress is an automatic response of the organism to any environmental change, external or internal, by means of which it prepares to face the possible demands that are generated as a consequence of the new situation (Labrador, 1992). Another definition defines it as: The adaptive response of the organism to various stressors (Hans Selye, 1955). According to Dennis Coon, stress gives warning signs that could be classified into: Emotional signs, behavioral signs and physical signs.
Stress has been associated with hypertension, cardiovascular disease, immune disorders, obesity, depression, and musculoskeletal conditions. The workplace provides an interesting laboratory for stress researchers, because work is the place where we spend most of our waking time every day. (McNeely, 2005).
Work stress is defined as the condition or process related to work or the combination of these factors, which interact with the worker, disrupting their psychological or physiological homeostasis (Storr, Trinkoff, Anthony, 1998). Work stress can be the result of a series of factors that interact with the worker, disrupting their psychological and physiological balance and their decision-making (Beheshti, 2006).
Long exposure to work stress could represent serious medical problems and is directly related to absenteeism, since employees suffering from work stress take longer to recover and return to work (Lambert, Edwards, Camp, & Saylor, 2005). Work overload is one of the most common causes of job stress mentioned by employees (MacDonald, 2003). Related to poor emotions and psychological health (Beehr & Glazer, 2005; Kelloway & Day, 2005; MacDonal, 2003).
Job insecurity is explored because it is a major job stressor. It is frequently increased in organizational restructuring (eg, downsizing, plant closure, workforce reorganization). A large number of studies support the relationship of job insecurity with poor physical and psychological health (De Witte, 1999., Probst, 2005; Sverke et al., 2002).
Substance use
Substance use presents as a maladaptive pattern of substance use that leads to clinically significant impairment or discomfort, expressed by one or more of the following items, over a 12-month period, according to DSM-IV:
- Recurrent substance use, which results in failure to meet obligations at work, school, or home (e.g., repeated absences or poor performance related to substance use; absences, suspensions, or expulsions from school related to substance; neglect of children or household duties) Recurrent use of the substance in situations where doing so is physically dangerous (e.g. driving a car or operating a machine while under the influence of the substance). Continued use of the substance, despite having ongoing or recurring social or interpersonal problems caused or exacerbated by the effects of the substance(eg, arguments with the wife about the consequences of intoxication, or physical violence).
Impact of substance use on society and organizations
Each year drug and alcohol abuse contributes to the deaths of more than 120,000 Americans and costs more than $ 294 billion (annually) in the cost of health care benefits tax payments, crime, and lost productivity (Johnston, O Malley and Bachman, 2002). Cigarette smoking remains the leading cause of death and disability in the US (Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC, 1994); Almost 1/3 of all cancer deaths in the US each year (approximately 173,000) are directly caused by use tobacco (American Cancer Society. 1999).Although there is a long recognition that smoking is interconnected to emotional processes (Brandon, 1994),Only relatively recently have concerted efforts been made to gain a better understanding of how smoking is associated with anxious and fearful responses.
In the United States, an estimated 20.3 million people who are dependent on substances or who abuse substances, 76% are well-paid employees (Slaymaker, Owen, 2006). This indicates a high percentage and shows us that this type of addiction, in addition to being extremely harmful, is also expensive. Substance abuse is considered a serious risk to the health and safety of users and the people around them. In the workplace, it is associated with absenteeism, dishonesty and poor performance in the performance of functions (Miller, Zaloshnja, 2006). Alcohol and drug abuse in the workplace costs American businesses and industries billions of dollars each year, due to errors at work, wasted materials, tardiness and absenteeism (García, 1996). Employees who use illicit drugs lose 10 times more work days than other employees. The employee who has problems with alcohol abuse operates at 50% of his efficiency and averages 22 days per year of absence from work. Costing a minimum of $ 1,500 to $ 4,000 each year in lost productivity (Scanlon, 1991).
Browne Miller (1991) classified the effects of drug use by employees into three types:
- Poor job performance: this consists of alternating periods of high and low productivity, increased errors and irregular habits, poor judgment, and disciplinary problems. As well as difficulty remembering instructions, reserved behavior and theft of materials. Other problems are weakening of coordination and failure to meet deadlines. Increase in absenteeism: this includes an increase in the number of authorized absences, late arrival times, and the frequency of exits from the work area. Poor interpersonal relationships in the work area: Discussions with co-workers and customer complaints, among others, on a more regular basis.
Is substance use related to stress levels at work?
Pelfrene et al. (2007) studied a sample composed of 16, 094 men and 5012 women from 25 companies in Belgium, applying Karasek's work stress test, the Belgian Work Stress Project Scale (BELSTRESS), and questions about drug use and drug classifications. The researchers obtained that 5.6% of men and 9.3 of women reported the use of benzodiazepines during the last month, a clear association was presented between the self-report of the use of benzodiazepines and high levels of stress at work, compared with low levels of work stress (men: OR = 1.93, 99% CI = 1.4-2.6; women: OR = 1.99, 99% CI1.3-3.1). Compared with other psychotropic drugs used, benzodiazepines were the most used by both genders (71% in men and 62% in women).
Jung-Wan Koo and Hyun Jung Kim (2006) applied to 217 South Korean prison officers, tests composed of general characteristics, job characteristics, stressors and psychosocial well-being. They obtained the mean job stress and well-being scores of prison officers as 54.0 and 26.0 respectively. Work stress scores were high in the group of officers who worked in direct contact with prisoners, while psychosocial well-being was high in the group of officers who did not work in direct contact with prisoners. The work stress and psychosocial well-being of prison officers is closely related to the change of working in direct contact or not with the prisoners. The work stress and psychosocial well-being of prison officers is closely related to the change of working in direct contact or not with the prisoners.
Tse, Flin and Mearns (2006) in a study on the well-being of bus drivers, state that smoking is often attributed to stress relieving situations. In particular, it has been reported that an increase in cigarette smoking is accompanying an increase in the levels of work stress, especially in monotonous working conditions. Ragland et al.s' (1995) found evidence stating that an increase in drug abuse was directly related to an increase in stress levels. The influence of shift change occurred when bus drivers used stimulants to stay awake and alert during the night at work and consumed sleeping tablets to rest during the day.
In a study carried out by Jhilla Adeb-Saeedi (2002), I applied 2 questionnaires to a sample of 120 nurses to measure demographic characteristics and identify potential work stressors from a list of 25 items. Saeedi found that the most common causes of stress reported by nurses were: treating patients with pain and suffering, work overload and the presence of relatives of the patients in the emergency department.
Ramchand and colleagues (2009) investigated the association between substance use and job holding among 5,147 adolescents in the United States. The researcher found that having a job was associated with substance use. In more detail, it was obtained that young people working for pay reported 5 or 7 times more likely to use tobacco than young people without work (AOR = 2.2), alcohol (AOR = 1.7) and marijuana (AOR = 3.1). Job tenure was a rare predictor of these behaviors.
Frone (2008) conducted an investigation with 2790 workers in the United States, on the relationship of two work stressors (work overload and fear of being fired) and the use of alcohol and drugs by employees. The results of the research showed that the work overload stressor induced the consumption of illicit drugs before starting work (0.12 **), during working hours (0.12 *) and after finishing the working day (0.13 **). On the other hand, it was found that the stressor fear of losing one's job induced the consumption of illicit drugs before starting work (0.11 *), during working hours (0.20 **) and after finishing working hours (0.10). In summary, both stressors induced the consumption of illicit drugs and alcohol before, during working hours, and after the end of the working day.
Conclusions
From 1999 to the present there are few studies that associate work stress with substance use, however the conclusions found in the different publications show that there is a direct relationship between the use of illicit drugs and alcohol and the levels of stress and tension.
Work stress and the psychosocial well-being of employees is closely related to the change in conditions that may occur within the work context, such as change of area or supervisor, as well as work overload and other stressors. These conditions can raise stress levels and employees can use illicit drugs and alcohol before, during work hours and after the end of the work day, as a way to cope with the pressures and demands of work. On the other hand, data were presented that show that young people working for pay reported 5 or 7 times more likely to use tobacco, alcohol, marijuana than young people without work, showing this that the consumption of substances is conditioned to the cash management of those who suffer from this disease.
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