Written by George Hale, Texas A&M University School of Public Health
A new study from the Texas A&M University School of Public Health uses national data on drug use and mental health to examine how workplace drug policies correlate with opioid use, misuse, and psychological distress among American workers. is being investigated.
Dr. Aurora Lee, associate professor in the Department of Health Behavior, and colleagues at the University of Michigan analyzed the data to answer questions about the interactions between psychological distress, workplace drug policies, and opioid misuse.
Researchers used data from the 2020 National Survey on Drug Use and Health to focus on adults 18 and older who worked full-time or part-time. This data includes information about opioid misuse in the past year, types of opioids used, measures of psychological distress, and whether a positive drug test resulted in immediate termination, known as punitive workplace drug policies. It included details on workplace drug policies. .
Le and his colleagues sought to answer three questions: Are workers who reported psychological distress in the past year more likely to have abused opioids, and do punitive policies influence opioid abuse? , do psychological distress and stricter drug policies correlate with opioid abuse?
“Our findings on mental distress, drug policy, and opioid misuse highlight the need for workplaces to reevaluate their drug policies,” Lee said. “While drug control in the workplace is intended to reduce physical risks such as accidents, punitive policies can exacerbate psychological distress, exacerbate existing health disparities, and discourage reporting of risks. I found out that there is even.”
Researchers found that 3.38 percent of study participants reported misuse of opioids in the past year, with prescription painkillers being the most common. Also, as expected, workers who reported abuse in the past year tended to have higher psychological distress scores. Surprisingly, they found no association between punitive policies and overall opioid abuse. However, further analysis revealed interactions related to age and race that may represent a more complex interaction.
The researchers also noted that the relationship between psychological distress and opioid abuse varies by disciplinary policy and by race and ethnicity. Additionally, the analysis showed that non-Hispanic white workers and those with higher education and higher incomes were more likely than other workers to misuse opioid prescriptions.
They also point out that this disparity may be due to differences in access to care and prescription of painkillers between different races and ethnicities, or to bias within health care. These findings indicate that multiple factors may be involved that require further research.
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