Building social support: The impact of workgroup characteristics, the COVID-19 pandemic and informal interactions.
Birgit Pauksztat, Michelle R Grech
PMID 35723163WHAT IT FOUND
Seafarers who shared leisure activities with colleagues reported more instrumental and emotional support.
High workload and the COVID-19 pandemic reduced these activities, which in turn lowered perceived support. National diversity also reduced informal interactions, weakening the support network.
Key findings
01Joint leisure activities were strongly associated with higher perceived instrumental and emotional support.
02High workload and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic reduced joint leisure activities, which indirectly lowered perceived support.
03A higher percentage of co-nationals on board increased joint leisure activities, which indirectly increased perceived support.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they found
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What it does not show
The study relied entirely on self-reported data from a single point in time, so it cannot prove that workload or lack of leisure causes reduced support. The sample was drawn from seafarers, a population with extreme isolation and specific living conditions, which may not apply to typical healthcare workplaces. The measure for joint leisure activities had low internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha 0.60), suggesting it may not have reliably captured the construct. The sample was overwhelmingly male (96.3%) and excluded cruise ships, limiting generalizability.
Declared interests
The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not assume that scheduling team leisure activities will directly increase support. The study shows an association in a unique, isolated population; it does not prove that forcing social interaction in a standard clinic setting will yield the same benefits.