A Review of Contemporary Research on the Relationship Between Occupational Stress and Social Support: Where Are We Now?

Abstract

The Occupational social support model has been described as producing weak and inconsistent results. There have been assertions that it has lost its popularity as an explanatory construct. However, lack of social support within workplaces has been implicated in the majority of work stress claims and is becoming a focal point of safety prosecutions against Australian employers for failure to provide a psychologically safe workplace. This article presents a review of contemporary (since 1999) cross-sectional and longitudinal studies that measure supervisory or co-worker support as a variable of interest in the published literature. The review examines the theoretical models, as well as general findings associated from over 61 studies. While there is substantial variation in the magnitude of effects, the majority of studies consistently produce positive evidence of the role of social support in offsetting the effects of strain. The review notes several well-constructed longitudinal studies, the increasing popularity of structural equation modelling, and the continued dominance of the Job Demands Control Support Model. The discussion includes consideration of studies where no mitigating effect was found for social support, and concludes that the magnitude of social support effect is determined by the history and context of social support being offered.