Social support, work engagement, and non-vocational outcomes in people with severe mental illness

The relationships between social support (i.e., supportive relationship between supervisor-coworker), work engagement, self-esteem, and self-awareness (i.e., identity and perceived personal health), were investigated in a group of patients with severe mental illness (i.e., patients suffering from schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, and mood disorders). Seventy Italian working patients were administered the Italian version of the following scales: a) Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, b) Work Climate Questionnaire, c) Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, d) Self-Awareness (identity and perceived personal health)ad hoc scale. Results showed that social support is positively related to work engagement, self-awareness, and self-esteem. Moreover, the relationships between social support and identity appeared to be fully mediated by perceived personal health. Practical implications are discussed.