64 - PSYCHOSOCIAL RISK FACTORS IN THE WORKPLACE AND THE USE OF ANXIOLYTICS AND HYPNOTICS AMONG WORKING POPULATION IN SPAIN
Hospital del Mar; Hospital del Mar Research Institute; Centre d’Investigació en Salut Laboral; Universitat Pompeu Fabra.
Background/Objectives: The use of anxiolytics and hypnotics has become a significant public health concern, primarily driven by stress-related conditions. Despite being a major source of stress, occupational exposure to psychosocial risk factors and its association with the use of these drugs has been scarcely investigated. The primary objective of this study is to explore this association within the salaried population in Spain.
Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study using data from the 2019/2020 EDADES survey, focusing on salaried workers aged 16-65 (N = 9,851). Three psychosocial risk indicators were considered: workload, job insecurity and social support. Prevalence ratios (PR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) were calculated using Poisson regression models with robust variance. Multivariable analysis was adjusted for age, occupational level, risk awareness, and self-perceived health. All analyses were stratified by gender.
Results: Women reported higher anxiolytic and hypnotic use (8.8%) compared to men (4.6%). Among female workers, high job insecurity was significantly associated with increased use (PRa = 0.68, 95%CI: 0.50-0.92 for low insecurity). No other psychosocial risk indicator showed significant associations in either sex. Awareness of anxiolytics and hypnotics risks was associated with reduced consumption in both genders (PRa = 0.56, 95%CI: 0.46-0.68 for women; PRa = 0.40, 95%CI: 0.31-0.52 for men).
Conclusions/Recommendations: Our findings indicate higher anxiolytics and hypnotics use among female workers compared to male, with job insecurity as a significant risk factor, particularly for those over 50. Future research should employ validated psychosocial risk factors assessment tools and further investigate how risk awareness influences psychotropic drug use among workers.