Page 514 - Encyclopedia of Nursing Research

SOCIAl SUppORT n 481

The two models of social support—the
Social Support direct effect and the stress buffering—have
been widely discussed (Cohen & Wills, 1985). S
The direct-effect model indicates the effect of
The concept of social support is a complex social support on certain variables such as job
one that has many dimensions or constructs. performance and job satisfaction regardless
Dimensions of social support include the of the level of stress, whereas the stress-buff-
function (e.g., emotional support, tangible ering model indicates the effect of social sup-
aid), source of support (e.g., coworker, super- port on certain outcomes through decreasing
visor, spouse), and structure of support (e.g., the level of stress. Selected literature of the
network, frequency of social interactions; direct and buffering effects of social support
hobfoll & Vaux, 1993). Cohen and Wills on organizational outcomes among nurses is
(1985) described the function of social sup- discussed below.
port as emotional, instrumental, informa- The literature revealed the consis-
tional, and social companionship. emotional tency for the direct effect of social support
support is to provide one with love and care. on outcomes such as burnout, job perfor-
On the other hand, instrumental support is mance, job satisfaction, and intention to stay.
to provide one with financial aid, material emotional social support has been found
resources, and services, whereas informa- to associate negatively with stress and
tional support (appraisal support) is to assist burnout (Bartram, Joiner, & Stanton, 2004;
one to understand and deal with problem- hare, pratt, & Anderaw, 1988). AbuAlRub
atic situations, and social companionship is (2004) and Amarneh, AbuAlRub, and Abu
to spend good time (recreational activities) Al-Rub (2009) found that as social support
with others (Cohen & Wills, 1985). The bulk from coworkers increased, job performance
of social support studies were conducted increased. AbuAlRub, Omari, and Al-zaru
during the 1980s and early 1990s. This might (2009) showed that as social support from
be attributed to the increased interest of both coworkers and supervisors increased,
researchers in occupational stress and its job satisfaction increased among hospital
management in the late 1970s. Social support nurses.
was among the approaches that were investi- mcCloskey (1990) found that social inte-
gated in relation to dealing with stress. gration (social support from coworkers) was
Research indicates that nursing is a correlated positively with job satisfaction,
stressful profession. Occupational stres- work motivation, commitment to the organi-
sors, if not managed successfully or effec- zation, and intention to stay. Social integra-
tively, could affect the psychological as well tion also was found to buffer the bad effects
as physiological capacities of the individual. of low autonomy. The autonomy–integration
however, some employers might consider the interactions for intent to stay and organi-
stress of their employees as a personal psy- zational commitment at 6 months and job
chological state and ignore its consequences satisfaction at 12 months were statistically
on the organizations and the physiological significant. The positive association between
and behavioral functions of the employees. social integration and job satisfaction was
The direct and indirect effects of stress in also supported by the studies of Bartram
terms of job dissatisfaction, low job perfor- et al. (2004), Chu, hsu, price, and lee (2003),
mance, turnover, and absenteeism motivate and Ko and yom (2003). AbuAlRub, Omari,
researchers to investigate variables such as and Abu Al Rub (2009) supported the find-
social support that might offset or reduce the ings of the relationship between social sup-
impact of occupational stress and enhance port and intention to stay at work among
the morale and satisfaction of the staff. hospital nurses. They showed that as social