Examining Social Support as a Moderator Between Workplace Stressors and Well-Being

Cometto, Denise Saskia Giulia (2025) Examining Social Support as a Moderator Between Workplace Stressors and Well-Being. Bachelor thesis, Psychology.

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Abstract

Abstract Stress in the workplace is a widely known problem impacting both employees and organisations. Nevertheless, we have grounds to think that social support will buffer the effects of work stressors. This study investigated the relationship between stressors, social support, and emotional exhaustion. We focussed on whether stressors at Week 1 predict emotional exhaustion at Week 2, and explored if social support moderates this relationship. Emotional exhaustion, can be viewed as the opposite of well-being, reflects an individual’s reduced energy and mental capacity due to prolonged stress exposure. The first hypothesis proposed that stressors experienced at Week 1 would positively predict emotional exhaustion at Week 2. The buffer moderator hypothesis by Cohen and Wills (1985) serves as the primary theoretical framework on which this study is based. As stated in the theory, we expect social support to play an important role in buffering the effects of the employees stress. Thus, the second hypothesis suggested that social support would buffer this relationship, such that individuals with higher social support would show lower emotional exhaustion despite high stressors. A sample of 60 participants completed self-report measures of stressors, emotional exhaustion, and social support over a two-week period. Contrary to expectations, results indicated no significant relationship between stressors at Week 1 and emotional exhaustion at Week 2. Additionally, the moderating effect of social support was non-significant, suggesting that social support did not buffer the effects of stressors on emotional exhaustion in this study. These findings challenge widely held assumptions about the direct effects of stressors on well-being and the protective role of social support. Possible explanations include the limitations of the theoretical model, mismatch in social support and stressors, or the influence of unmeasured variables such as coping mechanisms. Future research should consider longer timeframes, larger samples, and refined measures to better capture the complex dynamics of stress, support, and well-being outcomes. 4 Keywords: workplace stressors, social support, employee well-being, moderation analysis,

Item Type:	Thesis (Bachelor)
Supervisor name:	Devarakonda, S.K. and Fousiani, K.
Degree programme:	Psychology
Differentiation route:	None [Bachelor Psychology]
Date Deposited:	22 Jan 2025 11:05
Last Modified:	22 Jan 2025 11:05
URI:	http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/4524

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