Co-occurring Addictive Behaviors Among Public Employees in Türkiye: Associations of Alcohol/Substance Use, Nicotine Dependence, and Problematic Internet Use
Ömer Halim Kaşıkçı11alova Provincial Health Directorate, Yalova, Türkiye
Objectives: This study explored co-occurring addictive behaviors among public employees in Türkiye by examining alcohol/substance use, nicotine dependence, and problematic internet use, along with the relationships among these variables. Methods: This descriptive, cross-sectional, and correlational study was conducted with 443 public employees recruited via snowball sampling in Yalova province. Data were collected online using a Personal Information Form, the Michigan Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Screening Test, the Fagerström Test for Nicotine Dependence, and the Problematic Internet Use Scale. Descriptive statistics and Pearson correlation analysis were performed. Results: Of the participants, 34.5% reported smoking and 13.8% reported alcohol use. Alcohol/substance use was positively correlated with nicotine dependence (r=0.253, p<0.001). In contrast, problematic internet use was not significantly associated with alcohol/substance use or nicotine dependence. Problematic internet use was higher among younger participants, those with shorter professional experience, single participants, those with higher educational attainment, and those with longer daily internet use. Overall, alcohol/substance use was at a moderate level, nicotine dependence was low, and problematic internet use was at a low-to-moderate level. Conclusion: The findings suggest that substance-related addictive behaviors may cluster among public employees, whereas problematic internet use may reflect different psychosocial pathways. Workplace-based screening, prevention, and psychosocial support initiatives may facilitate the early identification of addictive behaviors. Keywords: Addictive behaviors, alcohol use, nicotine dependence, problematic internet use, public employees
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Kaşıkçı Ö. Co-occurring Addictive Behaviors Among Public Employees in Türkiye: Associations of Alcohol/Substance Use, Nicotine Dependence, and Problematic Internet Use. EJMI. 2026; 10(4): 590-600
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