Workplace problems, mental health and substance use

C-Tier
Journal: Applied Economics
Year: 2015
Volume: 47
Issue: 9
Pages: 883-905

Authors (3)

Johanna Catherine Maclean (not in RePEc) Douglas Webber (Federal Reserve Board (Board o...) Michael T. French (not in RePEc)

Score contribution per author:

0.335 = (α=2.01 / 3 authors) × 0.5x C-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

Little is known about how workplace problems may influence diagnosable mental health and substance use (MHSU) disorders. We examine the associations between three common workplace problems (experiencing problems with co-workers, job changes and perceived financial strain) and three MHSU disorders (mood, anxiety and substance abuse/dependence). The analysis utilizes longitudinal data on a sample of working-age adults from the National Epidemiological Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. These data are well suited for our research objective as the survey was specifically designed to study MHSU disorders. Results show that experiencing these workplace problems is associated with an increased risk for mental health disorders, but not substance use disorders. Importantly, various robustness checks and sensitivity analyses demonstrate that our findings cannot be not fully explained by omitted variables, reverse causality or sample attrition.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:taf:applec:v:47:y:2015:i:9:p:883-905
Journal Field
General
Author Count
3
Added to Database
2026-01-29