Ethnic adaptations to occupational strain: Work-related stress, drinking, and wife assault among Anglo and Hispanic husbands

Previous research has established that both work stress and drinking are associated with increased risks for wife assaults. However, prior studies have not considered whether these relationships vary by ethnicity. This study used data from the 1992 National Alcohol and Family Violence Survey (NAFVS), a national household survey of 1,970 families including an oversample of Hispanic families, to examine relationships among several types of Stressors associated with the workplace, heavy drinking, and wife assaults. The results show that Anglo and Hispanic husbands each experienced different types of work stress. In addition, Anglo and Hispanic husbands coped with those stressors differently. Among Hispanic husbands, all work stressors examined were associated with increased levels of both drinking and violence. In contrast, those same work stressors were associated with elevated levels of drinking, but not violence, among Anglos.