A prospective, questionnaire-based study of U.K. government employees suggests that senior female executives are more likely to be problem drinkers than women in more junior positions, according to an article in the March issue of the journal Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

The study, which was designed to track relationships between perceived life stresses and alcohol use, involved roughly 8,000 people, roughly two thirds of whom were male. Employees were asked on questionnaires about the demands of their jobs, their levels of support at work and at home, and the degree to which they could make or influence decisions. They were also scored on the amount of effort they made and the rewards they received in terms of promotional prospects, pay, and the sense of feeling valued.

A validated scoring system was used to assess the degree of problem drinking among the employees surveyed.

The prevalence of problem drinking among men was roughly the same (between 10 and 12 percent) for all job levels, from clerical to senior executive grades. However, the picture was very different for women.

Women at lower grades were less likely to be problem drinkers than male peers, but the prevalence of problem drinking seemed to be higher among women in senior position than among their male peers. For instance, senior female executives were more than three times as likely to be problem drinkers (14 percent) as those working in the lowest clerical grades (4 percent).

Men who had alcohol abuse issues were likely to list placing a lot of effort at work with little in the way of promotion prospects. This correlation was only partially affected by existing mental and physical health problems and poor quality relationships and friendships outside work. High job demands combined with low levels of support did not appear to cause abuse problems in many men.

Women who wrote that they put in a lot of effort at work with few chances of promotion were also more likely to be problem drinkers, but to a much lesser degree than men. The lack of ability to make or influence decisions was also a factor.