Washington — Workers who feel supported by family, friends and colleagues have better mental health and perform more effectively on the job, according to a recent study.
Researchers looked at 604 studies involving more than 894,000 participants from over 30 countries, including Canada, Germany, South Korea, the United Kingdom and the United States. The review focused on perceived support – the belief that help would be there if needed – in five categories: work performance, risk-taking behaviors, mental health, physical health and educational performance.
The research team found that perceived social support was most strongly associated with work performance and mental health. Perceived support from co-workers was shown to be associated with more satisfaction and less burnout. The researchers also identified significant associations with better physical health and lower risk-taking and, to a lesser degree, fewer symptoms of anxiety and depression.
The link to work performance was seen more strongly in Western cultures than in non-Western cultures.
The researchers say the findings can help design targeted interventions to improve mental and physical health, along with overall quality of life.
“Our findings can help policymakers, health professionals and social service providers build stronger support networks that promote thriving across different areas of life and contribute to overall well-being,” lead study author GeckHong Yeo, a research fellow at the National University of Singapore, said in an American Psychological Association press release.
The study was published in the APA journal Psychological Bulletin.
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Original article published by Safety+Health an NSC publication