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Data from a longitudinal survey of married professional women with small children (N = 200) were analyzed to investigate: (a) what types of occupational and role-conflict related stresses would be associated with the experience of physical and depressive symptoms, and (b) whether social support available from other people and /or the personality characteristic of "learned resourcefulness" could protect individuals from negative health effects of high stress. Six stress indices predicted physical and depressive symptoms, both concurrently and one year later (in the latter case, initial symptom levels were statistically controlled). These six stress indices reflected perceptions of: lack of authority and influence on the job; sex discrimination; a heavy workload; work imposing upon relaxation; family imposing upon relaxation; and overall suffering in different life arenas due to the other roles. Social support was measured by asking respondents about the degree to which they felt various types of assistance (e.g., advice, encouragement) were available from different sources (e.g., spouse, friends at work). Indices of support type (over all sources combined) buffered respondents against the effects of the stresses in six cases. Individuals who felt that useful information and advice was highly available from other people showed a reduced susceptibility to physical health symptoms under high levels of authority/influence stress in comparison to individuals lower in this type of support, and a reduced susceptibility to depressive symptoms under high levels of work amount stress. Individuals feeling that encouragement and reassurance were highly available from other people also showed a reduced susceptibility to depressive symptoms under high levels of work amount stress. Feeling that tangible assistance was highly available reduced the level of physical symptoms for individuals high in authority/influence stress. Actual participation in social activities buffered individuals who were bothered by work and family impositions on relaxation time against physical symptomatology. These results supported the idea that social support and interactions must be specifically tailored to the kind of stress being experienced for health-protective effects to occur. Indices of total social support from various sources (combining different types) yielded no stress-buffering effects. The resourceful personality disposition did not show any stress-buffering effects, either. |
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