Alcohol Abuse Associated with Accumulated Periods of Precarious Employment: A Four-Year Follow-Up Study of a Young Population in Korea

This study aims to explore how precarious employment among young age groups affects alcohol-use disorders. Using samples from Youth Panel 2007, a longitudinal and annual follow-up survey, the association between alcohol-use disorder assessed with CAGE and the accumulated years of precarious employment was assessed with logistic regression analysis. During the 4-year follow-up period, precarious employment for 2–4 years (OR 2.08, 95% CI 1.02–4.24) showed a significantly increased risk of alcohol-use disorder compared with the full-time permanent sustained group. Among young male adults, precarious employment for 2–4 years (OR 2.57, 95% CI 1.07–6.14) also showed a significantly increased risk of alcohol-use disorder, while it was not significant in women (OR 1.51, 95% CI 0.43–5.31). Although the prevalence of alcohol-use disorders was highest in groups with precarious employment for 2–4 years among female young adults, no significant association between alcohol-use disorders and precarious employment was found. This study suggests that the longer the precarious employment, the higher the risk of alcohol-dependence disorder, and showed that the tendency was stronger in males. In addition, because people engaged in precarious employment are vulnerable to alcohol-use disorders, policy programs focusing on them are needed.