Social Support, Occupational Stress, and Health

Abstract

The buffering hypothesis that social support ameliorates the impact of occupational stress on job-related strain and health was discussed. Previous studies of this hypothesis have yielded conflicting results. The literature in this area was summarized several studies were reviewed in detail. The different conclusions made by the studies were reconciled by reanalyzing one data set using a moderated regression technique identical to that used in the LaRocco and Jones and House and Wells studies. The data used for this analysis consist of a randomly stratified sample of men from 23 occupations. The buffering hypothesis for mental and physical health variables (anxiety, depression, irritation and somatic symptoms) was supported but, as in the previous 3 studies, the buffering hypothesis in regard to job-related strains (job dissatisfaction, boredom, dissatisfaction with work load) was not supported.