Az egészségromlás és az egészségmagatartás-változás kvalitatív vizsgálata munkafüggok körében

Background and aims: An increasing amount of studies examine the risk factors and outcomes of work addiction. Several theories posited that work addiction associates not only to negative psychological and social consequences but work addiction leads to deterioration of health status. Most of the studies explore the relationship between work addiction and physical health by using cross-sectional quantitative methods and only a few amounts of qualitative studies analyzed the personal experiences of individuals with work addiction. The aim of the current study was to explore and analyze the associations between working habits, physical health status, and health behaviors among individuals at risk of work addiction. Methods: In our previous study, applying a valid work addiction measure, we have identified a group of individuals who showed a high risk of work addiction and we asked them to participate in the current study. Finally, 29 individuals (15 males and 14 females) have been asked by a semi-structured interview. Topics of career orientation, working habits, work motivations, experiences of work addiction, and physical and mental health have been involved in the interviews. The texts of the interviews have been analyzed by qualitative content analysis, by using both deductive and inductive methods. We applied the six steps of thematic analysis by Braun and Clarke (2006). Results: Individuals with a high risk of work addiction have reported several negative signs of deterioration of physical health as a consequence of excessive work, such as motoric diseases, autoimmune diseases, cardiovascular and gastrointestinal diseases, obesity, sleep disorders, and burnout. They have experienced negative changes in their health behavior too: unhealthy eating behaviors, lack of physical activity, and a lower need for sleep have been reported. Conclusion: Our results have indicated that at-risk population considered physical health symptoms as consequences of excessive work and work addiction. Considering our results, work addiction is not a "positive addiction", moreover, the problem has to be conceptualized as a behavioral addiction because the negative consequences of overwork have been experienced by these individuals.