Explaining the variable effects of social support on work-based stressor-strain relations: The role of perceived pattern of support exchange

Inbal Nahum-Shani and Peter A. Bamberger

Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, 2011, vol. 114, issue 1, 49-63

Abstract: Seeking to explain mixed empirical findings regarding the buffering effect of social support on work-based stress-strain relations, we posit that whether an increase in the level of support received buffers or exacerbates the harmful effects of workload on employee health and well-being is contingent upon the general pattern characterizing an employee supportive exchanges across his/her close relationships. Specifically, we propose that the buffering effect of receiving social support depends on whether the employee perceives his/her social exchanges as reciprocal (support given equals support received), under-reciprocating (support given exceeds support received), or over-reciprocating (support received exceeds support given). Based on longitudinal data collected from a random sample of blue-collar workers, our findings support our predictions, indicating that the buffering effect of social support on the relationship between work hours (on the one hand) and employee health and well-being (on the other) varies as a function of the pattern of exchange relations between an employee and his/her close support providers.

Keywords: Social; support; Stress; Buffering; Work; hours; Conservation; of; resources; Social; exchange; Reciprocity; Esteem-enhancement; Well-being; Dyadic; support; relations (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2011
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

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