Employee Musculoskeletal Complaints and Supervisor Support: Implications for Behavioral Stress Reactions.

OBJECTIVE This research investigated the moderating role of supervisor support for employees with musculoskeletal complaints and their intentions to seek medical advice; take sick leave; transfer jobs; and resign. METHODS Cross-sectional questionnaire data were collected from 1,024 Australian employees. RESULTS Regressions with bootstrapping revealed no support for the buffering role of supervisor support. In contrast to expectations, high supervisor support heightened, rather than lowered, musculoskeletal complaints on intentions to transfer jobs. For sick leave and resignation intentions, high supervisor support buffered the negative effects of musculoskeletal complaints for full-timers but exacerbated such intentions for part-timers. Furthermore, full-timers with high musculoskeletal complaints appeared more vulnerable to the exacerbating effects of low supervisor support compared to part-timers. CONCLUSIONS Supervisor support for employees with musculoskeletal complaints both weakens and strengthens behavioral stress reactions, depending on employment status.