Affiliations: Research Group Psychosomatic Rehabilitation,
Charité University Medicine Berlin, Germany. Rehabilitation Center,
Seehof, Germany
Note: [] Address for correspondence: Dr. B. Muschalla, Research Group
Psychosomatic Rehabilitation, Rehabilitation Center Seehof, Lichterfelder Allee
55, 14513 Teltow, Seehof, Germany. Tel.: +49 03328/345678; Fax: +49
03328/345555; E-mail: beate.muschalla@gmx.de
Abstract: Objective: Job-related distress has often been found to be related
with low social support at work. The question is whether dimensions of social
support outside work have a similar relation with job-anxiety or whether they
are independent. Participants: A sample of 154 employed inpatients from a
psychosomatic rehabilitation center (70% women) participated in this study. Methods: Participants completed self-rating questionnaires on perceived
symptom load in the domain of work (job-anxiety) and in general life (general
psychosomatic symptom load), and on perceived social support at work and
outside work. Results: Job-anxiety showed moderate correlations with the
perceived level of social support through colleagues. Thereby the social
support dimensions of "consolation and encouragement" and "criticism,
overload, rejection" were more strongly related to job-anxiety than the
dimension of "practical support". There were no significant correlations
between job-anxiety and social support through household members, leisure time
partners or neighbors. Conclusions: Social support is in a specific way
important in the context of work other than concerning general mental health
outside the work-context. Job-anxiety is a domain-specific clinical phenomenon
and independent from perceived social support outside the workplace.
Keywords: Social support, participation disorders, job-anxiety, anxiety disorders
