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| Social Support
One of the most strongest variables that researchers have found among people who handle stress well, is that they have well-developed social support systems around them that they regularly access. Social support can be defined as friends and family, community members and work colleagues who respect us, offer us advice, are willing to give time to us, trust us, and are interested in us. Several studies have demonstrated a strong correlation between this kind of human support and whether people will be able to effectively handle the stressors of their life. For example, a studied performed by the Institute for Social Research at the University of Michigan demonstrated that lack of good relationships can lead to ill health. When pregnant women do not have people around them to offer warmth and support they are more likely to experience complications in childbirth. Divorced men experience death rates that are three to five times higher than among married men of the same age. Our hormone levels change when we are deprived of human support. In a seminal article, researchers Marc Pilisuk and Charles Froland (1978), write: "The amount of social support available to an individual has begun to be recognized as critical to health. Its importance can be seen as a precursor to health maintenance and, as well, a significant factor in the mediation of the consequences of illness." In short, we do not cope so well, when we lack loving relationships around to help us during troubled times. At a first glance level, it makes obvious sense. But at another level, many live their lives as if this concept has no relevance to them at all. Many organizations move their staff from one community to another, making it difficult for parents and children to form social relationships of a deep and lasting nature beyond immediate family. When families experience divorce at the rate at which it currently is happening, many people are forced to depend upon their work relationships as the main source of social support. If we are moved about within the organization too frequently, supportive relationships also not be available to us. Some organizations, however, do it well. I just completed a program for Planned Parenthood in the United States. I was struck by the enormous camaraderie this group shares. At the program at which I spoke, many people received their five year awards, their 10 year awards, and some even received 25 year awards. Many people told me that their "family" was Planned Parenthood. I could see it in the strength of their character, the love this group of mostly women expresses to all its members, and their willingness to embrace their mission: "Let every child be a wanted child." Planned Parenthood buildings are occasionally torched or bombed. It is always a threat. Some clinics have regular pickets operating outside their premises. It's a stressful environment, but the social support this group has created within itself helps them deal with some unique challenges. If there are any graduate students who want to look at the role of stress, and the strength of work teams, then certainly Planned Parenthood would be a good organization to consider in a case study. Some corporation would undoubtedly benefit from benchmarking Planned Parenthood on this important dimension. Janelle Barlow, President TMI, USA
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