Job-related stress and social support in kindergarten principals: The case of Macau

Purpose — One objective of the present study was to explore how stressful kindergarten principals, as leaders and managers of their schools, found their work to be, and if such job-related stress was associated with negative emotions and job (dis)satisfaction. Another objective was to assess whether or not social support from one's supervisor could reduce the adverse effects of job-related stress. A related objective was to examine possible negative impacts associated with receipt of support from one's supervisor. Design/methodology/approach — A total of 44 kindergarten principals in Macau filled out a questionnaire that contained the variables of interest. Findings — The results indicated that the principals found their work to be moderately stressful; only emotional support was shown to be effective in buffering the impacts of job-related stress; and there were only weak adverse effects related to the receipt of support. Originality/value — This paper is useful in understanding the relationship of stress to work in the school environment.