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. 2011 Mar;52(1):123-39.
doi: 10.1177/0022146510395024.

Social support and employee well-being: the conditioning effect of perceived patterns of supportive exchange

Inbal Nahum-Shani  1 , Peter A Bamberger, Samuel B Bacharach
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Free PMC article

Social support and employee well-being: the conditioning effect of perceived patterns of supportive exchange

Inbal Nahum-Shani et al. J Health Soc Behav. 2011 Mar.
Free PMC article

Abstract

Seeking to explain divergent empirical findings regarding the direct effect of social support on well-being, the authors posit that the pattern of supportive exchange (i.e., reciprocal, under-, or over-reciprocating) determines the impact of receiving support on well-being. Findings generated on the basis of longitudinal data collected from a sample of older blue-collar workers support the authors' predictions, indicating that receiving emotional support is associated with enhanced well-being when the pattern of supportive exchange is perceived by an individual as being reciprocal (support received equals support given), with this association being weaker when the exchange of support is perceived as being under-reciprocating (support given exceeds support received). Moreover, receiving support was found to adversely affect well-being when the pattern of exchange was perceived as being over-reciprocating (support received exceeds support given). Theoretical and practical implications of these findings are discussed.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Response Surface of Depressive Symptoms on Emotional Support Received and given
Figure 2
Figure 2
Response Surface of Somatic Symptoms on Emotional Support Received and given
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