Perceived organizational support and employee well-being: A bibliometric analysis and future research agenda

Abstract

This study conducts a systematic bibliometric analysis complemented by qualitative content analysis of 58 peer-reviewed journal articles published between 2015 and 2025 and indexed in the Scopus database. By employing descriptive statistics and keyword co-occurrence analysis, the study maps the evolution of the research field, identifies prominent authors, influential publication outlets, and dominant research themes. In parallel, content analysis is applied to examine the prevailing research methodologies, uncover key underlying mechanisms, and identify emerging directions for future research.

The findings indicate a substantial increase in scholarly attention to Perceived Organizational Support (POS) and employee well-being in recent years, particularly during 2024 and 2025. Research has increasingly focused on psychological mechanisms such as work engagement, job satisfaction, and emotional exhaustion, as well as contextual moderators, including leadership styles and demographic factors such as age and gender. Most existing studies employ quantitative methodologies, with a strong emphasis on cross-sectional survey designs and structural equation modeling. The literature also identifies several potential directions for future research, particularly the adoption of longitudinal research designs, cross-cultural comparative studies, and further exploration of mediating and moderating variables related to work context or the interaction between POS and other sources of social support in enhancing employee well-being.

By offering a structured overview of the intellectual structure and thematic evolution of the POS - employee well-being literature, this study contributes to theory development and proposes a structured research agenda to guide future empirical investigations. Furthermore, the findings provide practical insights for the design of organizational support initiatives aimed at effectively enhancing employee well-being.