Health and Mental Health Outcome of Work Addiction among Full-time Employees in China

Abstract

Purpose: Work addiction, or workaholism, can be conceptualized as a non-substance-related behavioral addiction that incorporates the experience of “classic” addiction symptoms similar to alcohol and drug addiction. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of work addiction and its association with demographic characteristics, work factors, and adverse health outcome among full-time employees in China. Methods: This study included 1000 adult full-time Chinese employees (505 women, 495 men) in the People’s Republic of China. They completed a web survey on their work behavior, depression symptoms, and general physical functioning. Results: Participants who were of younger age, had longer work hours, and had more supervisees showed higher risks of work addiction than their respective comparison groups. Gender, marital status, and educational level did not relate to work addiction. Among all participants, 43.4% would be classified as work addicts, 57.3% as having moderate to severe depression, and 15.9% as having moderate to severe impairment in physical functioning. The work addict group had 1.34 times the risk of depression and 2.32 times the risk of poor physical functioning compared to the non-work addict group. Discussions: Work addiction is common among full-time employees in China. It is related to high rates of depression and negative health condition. Prevention and intervention strategies should be in place to tackle this phenomenon. Findings about the relative risks can assist the identification of vulnerable groups for early detection and intervention of work addiction tendency.