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Cited by 33Substance Abuse Treatment and OutcomesWorkplace Health and Well-beingOccupational Health and Safety in Workplaces

A systematic review of the efficacy, effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of workplace-based interventions for the prevention and treatment of problematic substance use

Open access
Morse, Ashleigh K., Askovic, Mina, Sercombe, Jayden, Dean, Kate, Fisher, Alana, Marel, Christina, Chatterton, Mary-Lou, Kay-Lambkin, Frances +6 more·2022·Frontiers in Public Health
DOI 10.3389/fpubh.2022.1051119PMC PMC9676969
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Abstract

Employee alcohol and other drug use can negatively impact the workplace, resulting in absenteeism, reduced productivity, high turnover, and worksite safety issues. As the workplace can influence employee substance use through environmental and cultural factors, it also presents a key opportunity to deliver interventions, particularly to employees who may not otherwise seek help. This is a systematic review of workplace-based interventions for the prevention and treatment of problematic substance use. Five databases were searched for efficacy, effectiveness and/or cost-effectiveness studies and reviews published since 2010 that measured use of psychoactive substances (i.e., alcohol, cannabis, hallucinogens, inhalants, opioids, sedatives, hypnotics, anxiolytics, and stimulants) as a primary or secondary outcome, in employees aged over 18. Thirty-nine articles were identified, 28 describing primary research and 11 reviews, most of which focused solely on alcohol use. Heterogeneity between studies with respect to intervention and evaluation design limited the degree to which findings could be synthesized, however, there is some promising evidence for workplace-based universal health promotion interventions, targeted brief interventions, and universal substance use screening. The few studies that examined implementation in the workplace revealed specific barriers including lack of engagement with e-health interventions, heavy use and reluctance to seek help amongst male employees, and confidentiality concerns. Tailoring interventions to each workplace, and ease of implementation and employee engagement emerged as facilitators. Further high-quality research is needed to examine the effectiveness of workplace substance use testing, Employee Assistance Programs, and strategies targeting the use of substances other than alcohol in the workplace. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?RecordID=227598, PROSPERO [CRD42021227598].

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  • Psychosocial and pharmacological treatments can be effective in reducing substance use and improving physical and mental health.

    “as psychosocial and pharmacological treatments can be effective in reducing substance use and improving physical and mental health [5,6,7,8,9,10].”

    From Treatment Use Among U.S. Adults with a Substance Use Disorder: Associations with Symptom Severity, Problem Self-Perception, Comorbid Mental Illness, and Mental Health Treatment (2025) · cites this paper as [8]

    The Results section reports that some workplace-based psychosocial interventions were associated with reduced alcohol use, although the evidence was mixed. The cited review does not establish the claim about pharmacological treatments or improvements in physical and mental health; its reported outcomes focus on substance use. (LLM, conf=0.86)

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Authors
Morse, A. K., Askovic, M., Sercombe, J., Dean, K., Fisher, A., Marel, C., Chatterton, M.-L., Kay-Lambkin, F., Barrett, E., Sunderland, M., Harvey, L., Peach, N., Teesson, M., & Mills, K. L.
Affiliations
  • The University of Sydney (AU)
  • Deakin University (AU)
Corresponding author
Mills, Katherine L.
ORCID
Venue
Frontiers in Public Health
Publisher
Frontiers Media SA
Published
2022-11-07
Volume
10
Pages
1051119-1051119
ISSN
2296-2565 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3389/fpubh.2022.1051119
PMC
PMC9676969
OpenAlex
W4308451495
Cited by
33
References
84
Citations by year
2026: 12 · 2025: 13 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 2
FWCI
0.83
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Frontiers in Public Health (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
  • Deakin Research Online (Deakin University) (cc-by)
Funders
icare
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Epidemiology › Substance Abuse Treatment and Outcomes
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Workplace Health and Well-being
  • Health Sciences › Health Professions › Occupational Therapy › Occupational Health and Safety in Workplaces
Keywords
workplace interventions, problematic substance use, workplace drug use, substance use prevention, addiction treatment, employee assistance programs, substance use screening, brief intervention, digital health interventions, implementation barriers, employee engagement, cost-effectiveness, absenteeism
MeSH terms
Work Engagement, Adolescent, Adult, Ethanol, Cannabis, Cost-Benefit Analysis, Humans, Male, Workplace, Substance-Related Disorders

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