Deborah M. Galvin

The Relationship Between Employment and Substance Use Among Students Aged 12 to 17

PURPOSE To examine the association between employment status and substance use among students aged 12 to 17 years. METHODS Secondary analysis of data from the 1995 and 1996 National Household Surveys on Drug Abuse was conducted. The survey is a primary source of data on licit and illicit drug use among noninstitutionalized Americans aged 12 years or older. Participants are interviewed at their places of residence. Multiple logistic regression procedures yielded estimated associations. RESULTS About one in six adolescents reported both going to school and holding a job. Approximately one-fourth of students smoked cigarettes, and one-third consumed alcohol in the past year. An estimated 1.6% of students were current heavy cigarette smokers, and 2.6% were current heavy alcohol users. One-year prevalence estimates of any illicit drug use and heavy illicit drug use were 16.7% and 1.8%, respectively. Among students employed full time, prevalence estimates increased to 9.7% for heavy cigarette smoking, 13.1% for heavy alcohol use, 38.1% for any illicit drug use, and 5.0% for heavy illicit drug use. Logistic regression analyses supported relatively high rates of cigarette use, alcohol use, illicit drug use, and heavy substance use among working students. Mental health problems, especially externalizing behavioral syndromes, were found to coexist with the use and heavy use of substances. The observed associations varied somewhat by gender. CONCLUSIONS The workplace may be an appropriate venue for establishing substance use prevention and early intervention programs focused on younger workers, including adolescents who work part time.

Young adults in the workplace: A multisite initiative of substance use prevention programs

document when you quote from it. You must not sell the document or make a profit from reproducing it. assisted in the writing of the book. The views, policies, and opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect those of SAMHSA or HHS. Introduction Cross-site evaluations have become a common methodology to provide the best evidence possible from studies examining complex social phenomena. Cross-site evaluations are designed to compare program characteristics across multiple venues, to use common data across sites, and to identify the relative effectiveness of programs and program characteristics (Sambrano et al. Unlike clinical trials, which test programs under ideal settings, cross-site (or multisite) evaluations often test the impact of different programmatic and design elements as they are implemented in real-world settings. Government agencies are increasingly turning to cross-site evaluations of the programs they sponsor to ensure accountability of the individuals and organizations they fund, to inform policy decisions, and to gain an understanding of how government-funded programs affect targeted populations. This chapter provides an overview of the design and methods of the Young Adults in the Workplace (YIW) cross-site evaluation. By assessing program content and implementation processes, identifying diversity in the YIW interventions and populations, and using this diversity to examine the workplace and programmatic characteristics that mediate and moderate the effectiveness of various intervention components and strategies, the cross-site evaluation will provide the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) with knowledge to meet the objectives of the YIW initiative. The YIW initiative includes several interrelated components that enable SAMHSA to integrate data across funded programs, allowing the agency to examine program effectiveness at the program and cross-site levels and to use expert knowledge to strengthen each component to best inform public policy at the national level. Chapter 1 provides a detailed description of the YIW initiative; here we provide a brief overview that establishes the framework for the cross-site evaluation. As depicted in Figure 8.1, the YIW cross-site components include technical assistance to the grantees to strengthen program implementation and grantee-level evaluations, cross-site data collection to support a cross-site evaluation, consultation and knowledge exchange workshops to provide expert input at all levels of the evaluation, and knowledge dissemination to ensure the transfer of information from service to science. The cross-site data collection initiative is informed by SAMHSAs national outcome measures (NOMs), a set of outcome measures that SAMHSA discretionary grant …

Workplace managed care: collaboration for substance abuse prevention.

This article describes the history, purpose, and overall methodology of the Workplace Managed Care (WMC) study sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Substance Abuse Prevention (CSAP). This study was initiated to discern best practices for workplaces and managed care organizations integrating their substance abuse prevention and early intervention programs, strategies, and activities for employees and their families. CSAP funded nine WMC grants to study their retrospective and prospective data. Results of the WMC study suggested the addition of substance abuse prevention material to existing workplace health promotion offerings that resulted in improved substance abuse attitudes without jeopardizing existing health promotion programs. Stress management programming was successful at improving substance abuse attitudes indirectly. This study provides a platform for multidisciplinary research in workplace and managed care settings.

Perceived Unfair Treatment and Problem Drinking Among U.S. Navy Careerists

This mixed-methods paper assessed interrelationships of unfair treatment at work, stress, and problem drinking among a sample of U.S. Navy careerists. Survey data from current drinkers (n = 2,380) were analyzed, along with qualitative interviews from a quota sample of 81. More women than men (51.4% versus 16.2%) reported gender unfair treatment; approximately 20% of respondents reported ethnic/racial unfair treatment. Unfair treatment was associated with likelihood of problem drinking, but associations were attenuated after adjusting for frequency of work problems and expecting alcohol to alleviate stress. Qualitative results revealed contexts of unfair treatment within bureaucratic structures, tradition, norms, and role modeling.

Employee assistance programs, drug testing, and workplace injury

INTRODUCTION Little is known about the effects of employee assistance programs (EAPs) on occupational injuries. MATERIALS AND METHODS Multivariate regressions probed a unique data set that linked establishment information about workplace anti-drug programs in 1988 with occupational injury rates for 1405 establishments. RESULTS EAPs were associated with a significant reduction in both no-lost-work and lost-work injuries, especially in the manufacturing and transportation, communication and public utilities industries (TCPU). Lost-work injuries were more responsive to specific EAP characteristics, with lower rates associated with EAPs staffed by company employees (most likely onsite). Telephone hotline services were associated with reduced rates of lost-work injuries in manufacturing and TCPU. Drug testing was associated with reductions in the rate of minor injuries with no lost work, but had no significant relationship with lost-work injuries. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS This associational study suggests that EAPs, especially ones that are company-staffed and ones that include telephone hotlines, may prevent workplace injuries.

Industry and Occupation Variations in Nonmedical Prescription Pain Reliever Use

Nonmedical use of prescription pain relievers can be a serious problem for employers. Despite growing attention to prescription drug abuse, little is known about which industries or occupations are at the highest risk for misuse. This study used data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health to compare each industry to every other industry to identify significant differences in rates of past-year prescription drug misuse. Findings suggest that for industries with the highest prevalence rates, prescription misuse cannot be explained by basic demographics and likely involves elements inherent to the work context and requirements.