Assessing the effects of socio-demographic, social-psychological, socio-cultural, organizational, and community factors on the propensity of employees to utilize employee assistance programs (EAPs)

This study investigated, based on a proposed utilization model, the relationship of the following five domains on employees’ self-reported propensity to utilize employee assistance programs (EAPs): (a) socio-demographic, (b) social-psychological, (c) socio-cultural, (d) organizational, and (e) community. Propensity was divided into four areas: (a) propensity to self-refer, (b) propensity to act upon supervisor referral, (c) propensity to act upon peer/co-worker referral, and (d) overall propensity to utilize EAP services. Data relevant to the domains were gathered from a large industrial company and a small service company using a questionnaire and were analyzed using hierarchical multiple regression. Results indicated that a majority of employees had a high propensity to utilize EAP services. The greatest propensity was found in acting upon supervisor referral