The Effect of Stress and Perceived Social Support on Job Satisfaction: A Comparison Between U.S Born and Foreign-Born Faculty

Abstract

Research indicates that academic work-stress is a significant and growing problem for faculty members. General work-stress studies suggest that social support may buffer the negative impact of stress on faculty job satisfaction. To date, little research has been conducted in this area. Even fewer studies have examined the potential differences between U.S.-born and foreign-born faculty members regarding these variables. This quantitative, non-experimental multivariate study utilized a survey to assess academic stressors, perceived departmental social support, and job satisfaction at a large U.S. university. The surveyed institution consisted of 807 full-time faculty members. The three-week survey yielded a response rate of 35%, with 227 U.S.-born faculty and 55 foreign-born faculty participating in the fall semester of 2014. Results indicated that perceived departmental social support moderates the effect of stress on job satisfaction for U.S-born faculty members, but not for foreign-born faculty members. Further research is needed to more fully examine the differences found in this study.