Associations of employment status with opioid misuse: Evidence from a nationally representative survey in the U.S. (July 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Matthews, Timothy A.; Sembajwe, Grace; von Känel, Roland; Li, Jian
• Is Part Of: Journal of psychiatric research. Volume 151(2022)
• Page Start: 30
• Page End: 33
• Publication Date: 2022-07
• Subjects: Opioids -- Employment status -- Unemployment -- Drug misuse; Psychiatry -- Periodicals; Mental Disorders -- Periodicals; Maladies mentales -- Périodiques; Psychiatry; Electronic journals; Periodicals; 616.89005
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychires.2022.04.001
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0022-3956

Abstract

Abstract: The opioid crisis in the United States (U.S.) is widespread and increasing in severity, and psychosocial exposures have been identified as potential risk factors. We examined associations of employment status with opioid misuse in a large, nationally representative, population-based sample in the U.S. Data were from the 2019 National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), an annual cross-sectional survey. The association of employment status with opioid misuse in 40, 143 participants was examined by multivariable logistic regression, adjusting for age, sex, race/ethnicity, marital status, household income, educational attainment, medical insurance status, physical health conditions and depression. Analyses were weighted to represent a nationally representative sample of adults in the U.S. In NSDUH 2019, 3.82% of American individuals reported past-year opioid misuse. After taking relevant variables into account, compared to workers who were employed with normal working hours (35–40 h/week), those who were currently unemployed had higher odds of opioid misuse (fully adjusted odds ratio and 95% confidence interval were 1.40 [1.09, 1.79]). Compared to workers employed with normal working hours, those who were in school/training or retired had lower odds of opioid misuse. Short or long working hours were not associated with opioid misuse. Government and employer policy interventions may benefit from emphasizing stable employment as a major social determinant of health in the context of the opioid crisis. Highlights: The opioid crisis in the U.S. is widespread and increasing in severity. Unemployment was significantly associated with opioid misuse. Short or long working hours were not associated with opioid misuse. Stable employment may be a major social determinant against opioid crisis.