Affiliations: National Institute for Working Life, Östersund,
Sweden | Karolinska Institute, Department of Clinical
Neuroscience, Section of Psychology, Sweden | National Institute for Working Life, Stockholm,
Sweden | Research Group for Behavioral Medicine and Health
Psychology, Department of Social Sciences, MidSweden University, Östersund,
Sweden | Karolinska Institute, Stockholm Center of Public
Health, Unit of Mental Health, Sweden | Department of Pedagogy, University of Gothenburg, and
Stress Management Center, Karlstad, Sweden
Note: [] Address for correspondence: National Institute for Working Life,
Studentplan 1, Hus A, Campus, 831 40 Östersund, Sweden. Tel.: +46 63 55 13
23; Fax: +46 63 55 13 20; E-mail: [email protected]
Abstract: A large body of research has linked social support to health, but
there are fewer studies that have focused on factors that influence the level
of social support available and/or perceived by employees in different
organisations. This cross-sectional study therefore investigated the
relationship between on the one hand, organisational, individual and
socio-demographic factors and on the other, the level of social support at the
workplace, i.e., the degree of supervisor support and a supportive work
atmosphere. Organisational variables (job demands, job control, job content),
individual (self-esteem, mistrust) and socio-demographic variables (type of
employer, occupational position, age, gender and educational level) were used
as independent variables in the analyses. The sample consisted of 16,144
individuals at a variety of different organisations in Sweden, who had
responded to a questionnaire covering different psychosocial and psychological
stress factors ("the Stress Profile"). Multiple hierarchical regression
analyses were performed separately for each of the two dependent variables,
which yielded almost identical results, and indicated that organisational
determinants, particularly perceived job control, had the largest impact on the
degree of social support.
