Job Stress, Social Support and Health amongst Shrimp Fishermen

Abstract

Samples of shrimp fishermen (n = 211) and land-based workers (n = 99) drawn from a US Gulf Coast community are compared with regard to their degree of exposure to occupational stressors, level of social support, and extent of non-clinical depression and somatization. As hypothesized, shrimp fishermen report significantly greater levels of stressor exposure, support, depression and somatization at the zero-order level. At the multivariate level, with several covariates controlled, shrimpers report greater levels of stressor exposure, support and somatization. A model of the stress process which hypothesizes positive effects of stressors, and direct and indirect negative effects of social support on distress, is evaluated for each group. Occupational stressors predict as hypothesized, but social support does not. An explanation is offered which emphasizes the migratory character of shrimping as an occupation. © 1994 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.

Department(s)

Psychological Science

Comments

National Science Foundation, Grant NA85AA-D-SG005

Keywords and Phrases

Mental health; Shrimp fishing; Social support; Stress

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

1464-5335; 0267-8373

Document Type

Article - Journal

Document Version

Citation

File Type

text

Language(s)

English

Rights

© 2024 Taylor and Francis Group; Routledge, All rights reserved.

Publication Date

01 Jan 1994

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