Does migrant workers develop higher health risk behaviors from less social support and higher work stress than their college in originate country? - Relationship between work stress, social support and health risk behaviors among Thai workers in Thailand and Taiwan

Background The study aims at comparing social support, work stress and health risk behaviors (HRBs) between Thai workers in Thailand and Taiwan, and to determine the associations between factors among migrant workers. Methods Cross-sectional study was conducted by self-reported survey among Thai workers in Thailand and Taiwan in manufacturing industry between October 2019 and October 2020. Interpersonal Support Evaluation List-12, Job Content Questionnaire and questions regarding smoking and drinking behaviors were used to collect workers’ ISS, work stress and HRBs. There were 223 participants in Thailand and 86 participants in Taiwan included in final analysis. Chi-square test, t-test and logistic regression were applied for analysis. Results Thai migrant workers in Taiwan had significantly lower social support and higher psychological stress in work than workers in Thailand. However, workers in Thailand had higher percentage of smokers while there were more drinkers with high drinking frequency among migrant workers in Taiwan. Participants’ educational level and working country were the significant factors predicting their smoking and drinking behaviors while the association among ISS, work stress and HRBs were not found. Workers with lower educational level had significantly higher risk of being smokers. In addition, migrant workers in Taiwan had significantly higher likelihood of having risky drinking behaviors than their colleges in Thailand (OR = 2.02 and 2.21). Conclusions Though migrant workers had poor social support and high stress at work compared with their college in originate country, these factors did not lead them directly to develop smoking and drinking behaviors.