Workplace harassment, active coping, and alcohol-related outcomes.
OBJECTIVE
While sexual harassment and generalized workplace abuse (GWA) have been linked with alcohol use and abuse, active problem-focused coping has been shown to lessen vulnerability to deleterious mental health consequences of varied social stressors. At the same time, active coping is relatively more efficacious in response to stressors, which are amenable to change by personal actions. However, the moderating role that coping plays in relation to harassment and drinking is unknown.


METHODS
Using data from a two-wave survey of university employees (N=2038), we addressed the extent to which (1) active coping was utilized by harassed and abused employees, (2) whether coping impacted on the continuation or cessation of harassment and abuse, and (3) the extent to which nonsuccessful coping was predictive of alcohol use and abuse.


RESULTS
Active coping had no significant impact on the ability to end harassing or abusive experiences. Moreover, the use of problem-focused coping that was unsuccessful predicted some drinking outcomes for both men and women, controlling for Wave I drinking and sociodemographic characteristics.


CONCLUSIONS
The data suggest that increased institutional attention to the prevention of workplace harassment and abuse might impact on decreasing alcohol use and abuse.
Richman
J A
JA
Department of Psychiatry University of Illinois at Chicago, IL 60612, USA. jrichman@uic.edu
Rospenda
K M
KM
Flaherty
J A
JA
Freels
S
S
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D015146:Midwestern United States; D011340:Problem Solving; D012737:Sex Factors; D017406:Sexual Harassment / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012944:Social Support; D017132:Workplace / Q000706:statistics & numerical data