Men and women with mental disorders, including substance abuse or addiction, report higher levels of conflict between work and their family lives, Canadian researchers report.

The study could not determine if the work stress caused these problems or vice versa, Dr. Jian Li Wang of the University of Calgary and colleagues report. They call for further research to better understand this relationship.

Wang and colleagues surveyed 4,553 working men and women, asking them seven questions to assess work and family conflict and also interviewing them to determine if they had experienced any mental disorders in the previous month.

Nearly 17 percent of the study participants had experienced some type of mental disorder in the past month, with 4.4 percent having mood disorders, 10.2 percent having anxiety disorders, and 6.2 percent having substance abuse problems, the researchers found. Those with mental disorders were more likely to have high scores for work-family conflicts.

Those who worked in large metropolitan areas, workers between 26 and 45 years old, married workers, those with higher education and salary levels, and workers who put in more than 41 hours per week reported higher levels of work-family conflict.

In addition, single mothers with young children and women living in rural or small urban areas also had high work-family conflict scores. It’s likely, the researchers note, that this reflects the increased responsibility that comes with starting a family, maintaining a household and trying to make ends meet.

However, the researchers found no statistically significant relationship between domestic roles or working hours and mental health problems.

“Future studies should focus on the interrelations among psychosocial factors inside and outside of (the) workplace, which have significant implications for social policy and prevention,” the researchers conclude.

SOURCE: American Journal of Industrial Medicine, January 2007.