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

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