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Work Characteristics and Personal Social Support as Determinants of Subjective Well-Being

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  • Stephen A Stansfeld
  • Martin J Shipley
  • Jenny Head
  • Rebecca Fuhrer
  • Mika Kivimaki

Abstract

Background: Well-being is an important health outcome and a potential national indicator of policy success. There is a need for longitudinal epidemiological surveys to understand determinants of well-being. This study examines the role of personal social support and psychosocial work environment as predictors of well-being in an occupational cohort study. Methods: Social support and work characteristics were measured by questionnaire in 5182 United Kingdom civil servants from phase 1 of the Whitehall II study and were used to predict subjective well-being assessed using the Affect Balance Scale (range -15 to 15, SD = 4.2) at phase 2. External assessments of job control and demands were provided by personnel managers. Results: Higher levels of well-being were predicted by high levels of confiding/emotional support (difference in mean from the reference group with low levels of confiding/emotional support = 0.63, 95%CI 0.38–0.89, ptrend

Suggested Citation

  • Stephen A Stansfeld & Martin J Shipley & Jenny Head & Rebecca Fuhrer & Mika Kivimaki, 2013. "Work Characteristics and Personal Social Support as Determinants of Subjective Well-Being," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 8(11), pages 1-8, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0081115
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0081115
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Stansfeld, S.A. & Shipley, M.J. & Head, J. & Fuhrer, R., 2012. "Repeated job strain and the risk of depression: Longitudinal analyses from the whitehall ii study," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 102(12), pages 2360-2366.
    2. Dolan, Paul & Peasgood, Tessa & White, Mathew, 2008. "Do we really know what makes us happy A review of the economic literature on the factors associated with subjective well-being," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 29(1), pages 94-122, February.
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    2. Cristina Bernini & Silvia Emili & Maria Rosaria Ferrante, 2023. "Poverty‐happiness nexus: Does the use of regional poverty lines matter?," Papers in Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 102(2), pages 253-272, April.
    3. Ziyu Wang & Anne Kouvonen & Mirja Satka & Ilse Julkunen, 2019. "Parental Social Support and Adolescent Well-Being: a Cross-Sectional Study in China," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 12(1), pages 299-317, February.
    4. Serdar Karabati & Nurcan Ensari & Dary Fiorentino, 2019. "Job Satisfaction, Rumination, and Subjective Well-Being: A Moderated Mediational Model," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 20(1), pages 251-268, January.
    5. Suhee Kim & Junghee Kim, 2017. "Analysis of Factors Affecting Quality of Life of Workers in Korea Participating in Leisure Activities Using Quantile Regression," Global Journal of Health Science, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 9(7), pages 150-150, July.
    6. Hugo Briseño & Guillermo Estefani & Alejandra Núñez-Acosta & Manuel Soto-Pérez, 2022. "Urban Risks and Their Influence on Subjective Well-being Around the World," Journal of Happiness Studies, Springer, vol. 23(4), pages 1617-1636, April.
    7. Ewan Carr & Gareth Hagger-Johnson & Jenny Head & Nicola Shelton & Mai Stafford & Stephen Stansfeld & Paola Zaninotto, 2016. "Working conditions as predictors of retirement intentions and exit from paid employment: a 10-year follow-up of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing," European Journal of Ageing, Springer, vol. 13(1), pages 39-48, March.
    8. Monica Aureliana Petcu & Maria Iulia Sobolevschi-David & Raluca Florentina Crețu & Stefania Cristina Curea & Anca Maria Hristea & Mihaela Diana Oancea-Negescu & Daniela Tutui, 2023. "Telework: A Social and Emotional Perspective of the Impact on Employees’ Wellbeing in the COVID-19 Pandemic," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 20(3), pages 1-18, January.
    9. Carlos-María Alcover & Gabriela Topa, 2018. "Work characteristics, motivational orientations, psychological work ability and job mobility intentions of older workers," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 13(4), pages 1-24, April.
    10. Marianne Skogbrott Birkeland & Morten Birkeland Nielsen & Stein Knardahl & Trond Heir, 2015. "Associations between Work Environment and Psychological Distress after a Workplace Terror Attack: The Importance of Role Expectations, Predictability and Leader Support," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 10(3), pages 1-8, March.

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