Abstract
Since the burnout syndrome has a negative impact both on the individual affected and the institution in which he/she is employed, it is important to identify the factors which may alleviate the level of burnout. Social support is said to be one of such factors. Our study was undertaken to investigate the influence of social support in the workplace and general social support on relationships between global stress and stress related to role conflict, ambiguity, and overload and burnout components (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment). The subjects were 1,023 hospital nurses. The results indicate that burnout level correlates highly with organizational and global stress. The role of social support in determining the level of particular burnout components varied according to the type and scope of support. No reliable correlation was found between emotional exhaustion and social support of any type. The level of depersonalization was related only to general support whereas a personal accomplishment factor was related to both types of support. The study did not reveal a buffering effect of both types of social support on the relationships between stress and components of burnout.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Appels, A., & Schouten, E. (1991). Burnout as a risk factor for coronary heart disease.Behavioral Medicine, 17, 53–59.
Borucki, Z. (1988).Stres organizacyjny: Mechanizm, nastepstwa, modyfikatory (Organizational stress: Mechanism, outcomes, moderators). Gdańsk: Uniwersytet Gdański.
Buunk, B. P., & Peeters, M. W. (1993). Work stress, social support and companionship: Towards a microanalytic approach. InA healthier work environment basic. Concepts and methods of measurement (pp. 143–168). Copenhagen: WHO Regional Office.
Constable, J. F., & Russell, D. W. (1986). The effect of social support and the work environment upon burnout among nurses.Journal of Human Stress, 12(1), 20–26.
Etzion, D. (1984). Moderating effect of social support on the stress-burnout relationship.Journal of Applied Psychology, 69, 615–622.
Firth, H., & Britton, P. (1989). “Burnout” absence and turnover amongst British nursing staff.Journal of Occupational Psychology, 62, 55–59.
Garden, A.-M. (1989). Burnout: The effect of psychological type on research findings.Journal of Occupational Psychology 62, 223–234.
Jackson, S. E., Turner, J. A., & Brief, A. P. (1987). Correlates of burnout among public service lawyers.Journal of Occupational Behaviour, 8, 339–349.
Kandolin, I. (1993). Burnout of female and male nurses in shiftwork.Ergonomics, 36, 141–147.
Leiter, M. P. (1990). The impact of family resources, control coping and skill utilization, on the development of burnout: A longitudinal study.Human Relations, 43, 1067–1083.
Leiter, M. P., & Meechan, K. A. (1986). Role structure and burnout in the field of human service.Journal of Applied Behavioral Science, 22, 47–52.
Lepore, S. J., Evans, G. W., & Schneider, M. L. (1991). Dynamic role of social support in the link between chronic stress and psychological distress.Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 61, 899–909.
Maslach, Ch. (1982).Burnout-The cost of caring, Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall.
Maslach, Ch., & Jackson, S. E. (1983). The measurement of experienced burnout.Journal of Occupational Behaviour, 2, 99–113.
Murtomaa, H., Haavio-Mannila, E., & Kandolin, I. (1990). Burnout and its causes in Finnish dentist.Community Dental and Oral Epidemiology, 18, 208–212.
O'Driscoll, M. P., & Schubert, T. (1988). Organizational climate and burnout in a New Zealand social service agency.Work and Stress, 2, 199–204.
Payne, R. (1980). Organizational stress and social support. In C. L. Cooper & R. Payne (Eds.),Current concerns in occupational stress (pp. 269–298). John Chichester: Wiley & Sons.
Sarason, I. G., Sarason, B. R., Shearin, E. N., & Pierce, G. R. (1987). A brief measure of social support: Practical and theoretical implications.Journal of Social and Personal Relationship, 4, 497–510.
Turner, J. (1983). Direct, indirect, and moderating effects of social support on psychological distress and associated conditions. In H. B. Kaplan (Ed.),Psychological stress: Trends in theory and research (pp. 105–155). New York: Academic Press.
Winnubst, J. A. M., Marcelissen, H. G., & Kleber, R. J. (1982). Effects of social support in the stressor-strain relationship: A Dutch sample.Social Science and Medicine, 16, 475–482.
Wolpin, J., Burke, R. J., & Greenglass, E. R. (1991). Is job satisfaction an antecedent or a consequence of psychological burnout?Human Relations, 44, 193–209.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Koniarek, J., Dudek, B. Social support as a buffer in the stress-burnout relationship. Int J Stress Manage 3, 99–106 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01857718
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01857718