Role of control and support in occupational stress: an integrated model

Drawing from the Demand-Control Model and the conceptual framework of the stress process developed by researchers at the University of Michigan's Institute for Social Research, this paper presents and tests an "integrated model" of occupational stress. The results indicate that control and social support are strongly correlated with negative job feelings. The effect of control on health was found to depend on the type of control and organizational level at which control is exercised. Specifically, the effect of participation on health outcomes was found to differ at the job and organizational levels, and participation without influence was associated with increased negative job feelings. The effect of social support was found to depend on the type of support and from whom the support was provided. Results also indicate that it is important to test for moderating, mediating, and direct effects of control on health, and underscore the complementary nature of qualitative and quantitative data in furthering knowledge and understanding.