Social support and individual.styles of coping in the Japanese workplace: an occupational stress model by-structural equation analysis

摘要

The aim of the present study was to ascertain the role of social support and individual styles of coping on employee well-being. The subjects were intermediate managers working for a zipper and sash manufacturing company in Japan. Measurements were made of the following: depression using the Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS), fob demand, job control, social support using Karasek's Job Content Questionnaire, and of three coping styles: emotion-oriented coping, task-oriented coping and avoidance-oriented coping using the Coping Inventory for Stressful Situations (CISS). Data was analysed by structural equation modeling. Each coping style had a direct effect on depression. Emotion-oriented coping had a negative effect. On the other hand, task-oriented coping and avoidance-oriented coping had a positive effect. Moreover, there was an indirect effect that coping styles precede and determine the perception of social support as well as job demand and control. Social support showed a direct positive effect on depression. However, the overall impact on employee well-being was greater for individual coping styles as compared to social support from either supervisors or co-workers. The present study showed the effectiveness of coping strategies in the workplace.