Peran Dukungan Sosial Sebagai Stress Buffer pada Dosen yang Menjalani Commuter Marriage di Universitas Jember

Abstract

Lecturers are at risk of experiencing stress due to the demands of the three pillars of higher education, administrative workload, and continuous performance requirements. These pressures may become more complex for lecturers experiencing commuter marriage because they must manage work and family demands while living geographically apart from their spouses. Social support is considered a potential protective factor that may prevent such pressures from developing into detrimental stress. This study aimed to understand the role of social support as a stress buffer among lecturers experiencing commuter marriage at the University of Jember. A qualitative approach with a phenomenological design was employed. The participants consisted of nine primary informants who were active lecturers at the University of Jember and experiencing commuter marriage, six additional informants consisting of family members and colleagues, and one key informant who was a psychologist and counselor at the Center for Counseling and Disability Services (PLKD) of the University of Jember. Data were collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. Data credibility was established through source triangulation and member checking. The findings showed that lecturers experienced multidimensional workload pressures and the impacts of commuter marriage, including dual-role demands, concerns about family, loneliness, and limited physical presence of spouses. Social support received from spouses, family members, colleagues, and the institution included emotional, instrumental, informational, and appraisal support. Social support functioned as a stress buffer through changes in the appraisal of stressful situations, reflected in experiences of feeling accompanied, appreciated, understood, calmer, less threatened, more balanced in fulfilling roles, and able to remain focused. The study concludes that social support plays a role as a stress buffer by influencing how individuals appraise and respond to the pressures they experience.