Occupational stress and addiction: Possible neurobiological elucidation of medical waste related individuals

Abstract

Multiple factors contribute to the tendency to develop drug addictions, including social or psychological stressors. Most studies examining causes of and treatments for drug addiction have been conducted in Western developed nations. Here we used phenomenological research approach to explore the neurobiological explanation of drug addiction and to investigate attitudes towards drug use amongst individuals working with medical waste. Data were collected in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, using a variety of techniques based on formal representative sampling for fixed populations and adaptive sampling for roaming populations. We found that over half of participants interviewed reported using illicit substances to cope with occupational stress. Self-reported disease symptoms related to stress were reported by most of the respondents. Working with horrifying waste contributes to increased stress among the participants. These results indicate that in the case of these workers, workplace stressors along with cultural and socio-economic context uniquely contribute to, and exacerbate, tendencies toward drug addiction.