Cigarette smoking in veteran women: the impact of job strain.

To evaluate the health effects of role overload, the relationship between multiple role (i.e., worker, spouse, caretaker) strain and current cigarette smoking was examined. A cross-sectional survey of women veterans, aged 36-85 years, was performed measuring home and job strain and health behaviors. Of the 275 women who rated both their work and home strains, 25% (n = 69) currently smoke cigarettes. Higher work strain, but not higher home strain, was associated with smoking adjusting for age, education, income, weight, and marital status. A stressful work environment may trigger persistent smoking and should be addressed during smoking cessation counseling.