One for all: Workplace social context and drinking among railway workers in Ukraine

Abstract

Alcohol consumption is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity in countries of the former Soviet Union, but little is known about its social determinants. Recent research has suggested that workplace contexts may play a role. Using qualitative methods, we investigate the relationship between workplace social contexts and drinking in Ukraine. We conducted 24 individual semi-structured interviews and two focus group discussions in Lviv and Kharkiv, Ukraine, with male railway employees aged 18+ years. Data were analysed using a thematic analysis approach. Men in our sample expressed strong feelings of interdependence and trust towards their co-workers which we defined as ‘social solidarity’. Drinking with co-workers was often seen as obligatory and an integral part of co-worker social occasions. Engagement in sport or family obligations seemed to act as a deterrent to drinking among some workers. A strong sense of solidarity exists between railway co-workers in Ukraine, perhaps a remnant of the Soviet era when individuals relied on informal networks for support. Alcohol may be used as a means of expressing this solidarity. Our findings point to factors, namely engagement in sports and family, which may offer opportunities for interventions to reduce alcohol consumption among workers in Ukraine.

Keywords:

• Ukraine
• alcohol consumption
• social determinants
• qualitative methods

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank Dr Jeremy Morris for sharing with us his insightful work on blue-collar social networks in Russia.

Additional information

Funding

This work (part of the Health in Times of Transition Project of the European Centre on Health of Societies in Transition) was supported by the European Union's 7th Framework Program, project HEALTH-F2-2009-223344.