A Cross-Cultural Investigation of Social Support and Burnout

Abstract

A large number of studies have been published in recent years concerning social support, and a large number of studies have been published on burnout. Very few studies, however, have addressed the relationship between the two—and those that did reported conflicting results. The current exploratory study examines the different functions of social support (rather than the people who provide them) and their relationship to burnout among Israeli, Israeli Arab, Hungarian, and North American social science students (to assure subject homogeneity). Respondents were asked to rate the importance of six support functions and to indicate the extent to which they are available to them in their lives. Their responses were correlated with their burnout scores. Results showed both universal and culture-specific effects. While respondents in all four countries viewed the six support functions as very important, burnout was correlated more with the availability of support than with its importance. Different functions had different importance and availability ratings and different correlations with burnout in the four countries. The results demonstrate the importance of a cross-cultural perspective to the study of social support and burnout.