Psychosocial stress at work and alcohol consumption patterns in offshore oil workers

• Published in: Cadernos de saúde pública 2017-07, Vol.33 (6), p.e00116616-e00116616
• Main Authors: Vidal, Jahina Moura, Abreu, Angela Mendes, Portela, Luciana Fernandes
• Format: Article
• Language: Portuguese
• Subjects: Adult; Alcohol Drinking - psychology; Brazil; Confined Spaces; Cross-Sectional Studies; Humans; Oil and Gas Industry; Petroleum; Stress, Psychological - psychology; Surveys and Questionnaires; Work Schedule Tolerance - psychology; Workload - psychology
• ISSN: 1678-4464
• DOI: 10.1590/0102-311Xe00116616

The objectives were to assess the association between psychosocial stress at work and alcohol consumption patterns in offshore oil workers. This was a cross-sectional study of 210 workers on offshore oil rigs in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from July to September 2014. The data collection instrument was a self-completed multidimensional questionnaire. Exposure to stress was measured by the demand-control model and alcohol consumption pattern was measured with the Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test (AUDIT). Statistical analyses were based on the multivariate logistic regression model. Participants' mean age was 32.9 years (SD ± 8.1 years). Most were married (62.9%) and reported having a religion (84.5%); 15.2% reported abusive levels of alcohol consumption, 20.3% had finished university, and 56.6% had fewer than 5 years of offshore experience. All the participants were subject to 12-hour daily shifts for 15 days followed by 15 days off, and 62.4% worked on fixed shifts. The multivariate analyses showed that workers exposed to workplace stress (OR = 3.30; 95%CI: 1.18-9.27) had higher odds of alcohol abuse when compared to unexposed workers. The results help elucidate what is still a controversial issue in the literature, i.e., the relationship between psychosocial stress and alcohol consumption, and point to the need for further studies.