P-33 * JOB STRAIN, SOCIAL SUPPORT AT WORK, AND SMOKING RELAPSE AMONG JAPANESE MALE EMPLOYEES: A THREE-YEAR PROSPECTIVE COHORT STUDY

Abstract

Aim. Evidence for a prospective association of stressful working conditions, characterized by high strain job (i.e., high job demands with low job control) and low social support at work (i.e., supervisor support and co-worker support), with careers such as smoking relapse is still limited. The purpose of the present study was to investigate a prospective association of job strain and social support at work as well as their indicators with smoking relapse during a three-year follow-up period among Japanese male employees. Methods. At baseline (2007), a total of 9,766 employees (9,162 men and 604 women) in a large listed company in Japan were surveyed using a self-administered questionnaire comprising the Brief Job Stress Questionnaire (BJSQ: including scales for job demands, job control, supervisor support, and co-worker support) and questions about smoking status and demographic characteristics (i.e., age, marital status, type of job, occupational status, and work form). A total of 1,351 male former smokers were followed for three years, with 1,037 completing a follow-up question about smoking habit in 2010. Taking the lower tertile of job strain (i.e., job demands/control ratio) or job demands; or higher tertile of job control, supervisor support, or co-worker support as a reference, multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted. Results. A total of 113 (10.9%) participants relapsed smoking during the three-year follow-up period. Multiple logistic regression analyses showed that after adjusting for demographic characteristics, low and moderate co-worker support groups had marginally significantly lower odds ratios of smoking relapse (odds ratio = 0.67 [95% confidence interval: 0.41–1.07], p = 0.093 and 0.60 [95% confidence interval: 0.35–1.01], p = 0.056, respectively) compared to the high co-worker support group. No significant association of job strain, job demands, job control, or supervisor support with smoking relapse was observed (p > 0.05). Conclusions. The present findings suggest that a supportive work environment from co-workers is a risk factor, rather than a protective factor, for smoking relapse among Japanese male employees. Job strain or supervisor support may not be an important psychosocial factor related to smoking relapse.