The purpose of this investigation is to increase knowledge of the role family and work factors play in working woman's job performance, as measured abuse. The results will be useful for planning prevention efforts aimed at providing those women at risk with skills to adopt functional rather than dysfunctional coping behaviors. We propose a process model which suggests that work and family environments are related to certain repertoires of behaviors in a manner reflecting individual differences. We will test the relationship of risk factors and substance use by measuring 1) workplace stress factors, 2) family stress factors, 3) personal factors, and 4) dysfunctional coping behaviors, as a basis for possible prevention and intervention strategies. To do this, we will recruit and survey, with permission and support of the AFL-CIO Appalachian Council, a sample of 650 working women, including a 20% minority subsample, on a variety of scales measuring the four categories of variable. In addition, a 5% subsample will be interviewed in groups of 4-5 by a project associate to validate the accuracy of the self reports by the total sample. The subject will be union examine relationships among multiple measures of each variable to arrive at variables of work stress/support, family stress/support and mediating dysfunctional coping. Cluster and discriminant analyses will be performed to environments and particular coping repertoires. Multiple regression analyses will be performed to determine if, as hypothesized, personal factors mediate dysfunctional coping behaviors; we will also examine the bi-directionality of the variables. The hypotheses we will test in this study are: 1) Certain adaptive and maladaptive copying responses occur in response to family stress, (including structure, process and perceived stressfulness), as mediated by personal structure and status factors. 2) Certain adaptive and maladaptive coping responses occur in response to workplace stress, as mediated by personal structure and status factors.
| Blazer, L K; Mansfield, P K (1995) A comparison of substance use rates among female nurses, clerical workers and blue-collar workers. J Adv Nurs 21:305-13 |
