Abstract
This study explores how social support affects the relationship between effort-reward imbalance and behavioral patterns, specifically the behavioral inhibition system and behavioral activation system, among college students. To investigate this, we surveyed 1,111 college students using validated questionnaires that measured effort-reward imbalance, social support, and these behavioral systems. The results showed that effort-reward imbalance was linked to increased behavioral inhibition and decreased behavioral activation, with social support playing a significant moderating role in both cases — meaning that social support affected the strength of these relationships. Specifically, lower levels of social support were associated with a stronger relationship between effort-reward imbalance and behavioral activation. Conversely, this relationship appeared weaker in environments with higher social support. These findings highlighted the importance of developing social support systems within educational settings to mitigate the negative consequences of perceived academic effort-reward imbalance, thereby encouraging healthier coping strategies for stress in college life.