Effort–Reward Imbalance at Work and Prescription Drug Misuse—Prospective Evidence from Germany

Sebastian Sattler and Olaf von dem Knesebeck
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Sebastian Sattler: Faculty of Sociology, Bielefeld University, Universitaetsstrasse 25, 33615 Bielefeld, Germany
Olaf von dem Knesebeck: Institute of Medical Sociology, University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Martinistrasse 52, 20246 Hamburg, Germany

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 13, 1-12

Abstract: This study examines how work stress affects the misuse of prescription drugs to augment mental performance without medical necessity (i.e., cognitive enhancement). Based on the effort–reward imbalance model, it can be assumed that a misalignment of effort exerted and rewards received increases prescription drug misuse, especially if employees overcommit. To test these assumptions, we conducted a prospective study using a nationwide web-based sample of the working population in Germany ( N = 11,197). Effort, reward, and overcommitment were measured at t 1 and the 12 month frequency of prescription drug misuse for enhancing cognitive performance was measured at a one-year follow-up ( t 2 ). The results show that 2.6% of the respondents engaged in such drug misuse, of which 22.7% reported frequent misuse. While we found no overall association between misuse frequency and effort, reward, or their imbalance, overcommitment was significantly associated with a higher misuse frequency. Moreover, at low levels of overcommitment, more effort and an effort–reward imbalance discouraged future prescription drug misuse, while higher overcommitment, more effort, and an imbalance increased it. These findings suggest that a stressful work environment is a risk factor for health-endangering behavior, and thereby underlines the importance of identifying groups at risk of misusing drugs.

Keywords: prescription drug misuse; cognitive enhancement; effort–reward imbalance; stress; overcommitment (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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