Effects of Individual Sources of Support on Well-Being in Employed Parents (Specificity, Substitution).

This study analyzed the effects of individual sources of support on stress and well-being in employed parents. It was hypothesized that: (1) individual sources of support have unique effects on well-being that are not accounted for by an aggregate measure of social support, (2) support sources from one domain are most strongly related to strains within that same domain (i.e., supervisor and co-worker support is more related to job strains than support from the spouse and friends), and (3) some sources of support can compensate for the absence of other support sources or for low levels of support. Data were based on questionnaires from 651 men and women who had at least one child aged 16 or younger living at home. Social support was assessed from: (1) spouses, (2) friends, neighbors, and relatives, (3) co-workers, and (4) supervisors. The hypotheses were tested in three subgroups: married fathers (n = 208), married mothers (n = 287), and single mothers (n = 149) using hierarchical multiple regression. Analyses showed that different sources of support had different types of effects on well-being. Sources of support were most strongly related to strains within their own domain, but their effects were not limited to their own domain. The results on the substitution of support were inconclusive. Single mothers reported higher levels of support from friends, neighbors, and relatives than married parents, but this support did not have any greater effect on the single mother's well-being. In regards to the compensation for low levels of support, analyses showed little evidence that support from one source had greater effects on well-being when support from other sources was low.PhDSocial psychologyUniversity of Michiganhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/160747/1/8521013.pd