Family Support Scale (FSS)

Abstract

The Family Support Scale (FSS) is a widely recognized psychological scale designed to measure the perceived helpfulness and availability of various sources of social support for parents, particularly those raising children, including children with disabilities. It assesses 18 distinct sources of support, ranging from immediate family and friends to formal professional services and community organizations. The FSS provides a quantitative measure of the breadth and utility of a family’s support network, offering insights crucial for family-centered early intervention practices.

Keywords

family support, social support, parenting, intervention, resource measurement, psychological assessment, family well-being

Authors

Carl J. Dunst, Victoria Jenkins, Carol M. Trivette, Harriet E. Leet, Deborah W. Hamby, Ann G. Deal

Purpose

The primary purpose of the Family Support Scale (FSS) is to determine the extent to which a family perceives various resources and individuals as helpful in fulfilling the demands of raising children. It moves beyond simply identifying the presence of a support network to quantifying the perceived utility and effectiveness of that support from the perspective of the parent. This information is vital for clinicians and researchers aiming to identify gaps in resource provision and strengthen existing support systems.

The FSS is particularly valuable in contexts related to early intervention and special education, where understanding the family’s environment and resources is paramount to successful child outcomes. By assessing the perceived helpfulness of sources across informal, familial, and formal domains, the scale facilitates the development of individualized family service plans (IFSPs).

Construct

The FSS measures the construct of Perceived Social Support Helpfulness. This construct is defined by the subjective evaluation made by the parent regarding how beneficial and effective specific sources of support (people, groups, or agencies) have been in assisting them with parenting responsibilities. Unlike scales that merely count available resources, the FSS focuses on the quality and perceived functional value of the support received.

The structure of the scale reflects a multidimensional view of social support, categorizing sources into domains such as familial/kinship, social/community, and professional/formal services. The resulting total score provides an overall index of the family’s access to helpful support, which is often correlated with parental well-being and adaptive behavior.

Validity

Initial studies establishing the psychometrics properties of the FSS affirmed its validity. Specifically, construct validity was supported by the scale’s ability to differentiate between families based on their perceived resource availability and reported stress levels. The items were developed to ensure content validity, covering a comprehensive range of support sources identified as critical for parents raising children, especially those with special needs.

Research has demonstrated that scores on the FSS correlate meaningfully with other measures of family resources and well-being, suggesting adequate concurrent validity. The scale reliably captures the subjective experience of support, which is a key predictor of adaptive family functioning in various research contexts.

Reliability

The reliability of the FSS has been well-documented since its introduction in 1984. Studies, including the foundational work by Dunst, Jenkins, and Trivette, reported high levels of internal consistency. The scale exhibits strong Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, indicating that the 18 items consistently measure the underlying construct of perceived support helpfulness.

Furthermore, the FSS demonstrates acceptable levels of test-retest reliability, confirming that the measurement of perceived support remains stable over time, assuming no significant changes in the family’s support network have occurred. These robust psychometrics allow the FSS to be used effectively both for clinical assessment and longitudinal research.

Factor Analysis

Factor analysis of the Family Support Scale generally reveals a structure that aligns with the theoretical domains of social support. While the exact number of factors may vary slightly across different population studies, the items typically cluster into distinct, meaningful subscales reflecting the source type.

Based on the original conceptualization, common factors or subscale groupings include: Formal Kinship, Informal Kinship, Social Groups, Professionals, and Professional Groups. Other analyses suggest broader categories such as Familial, Spousal, Social, and Professional support. These subscale scores allow researchers and practitioners to analyze specific areas of strength or need within a family’s support ecology.

Instrument

Test Type: Psychological scale; Self-report inventory

Format: 18 items rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1= not helpful at all to 5= extremely helpful), plus an option for “Not Available” (NA).

Language Available: English (Original); translations exist in various other languages for global research applications.

Population Group: Parents or primary caregivers.

Age Group: Adults (Parents/Caregivers) of children, commonly applied to those with young children or children with disabilities.

Population Details: Originally normed and validated primarily on parents receiving early intervention services in the United States, but widely applicable to diverse parenting populations globally.

Test Methodology: Respondents are asked to indicate how helpful each listed source of support has been to them in terms of raising their child(ren).

Keywords

social support, family resources, parenting stress, psychometrics, support networks, Dunst, family assessment

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A

Correspondence Address: N/A (Historically affiliated with Western Carolina Center)

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The scale was initially published and validated in 1984. Information regarding permissions and fees should be sought directly from the primary author, Dr. Carl J. Dunst, or relevant publishing entities. The instrument is frequently used in academic research, often requiring standard permission depending on the context.

Reference’s

Dunst, C. J., Jenkins, V., & Trivette, C. M. (1984). The Family Support Scale: Reliability and validity. Journal of Individual, Family and Community Wellness, 1, 45-52.

Dunst, C.J., & Leet, H.E. (1985). Family Resource Scale. Morganton, NC: Western Carolina Center.

Dunst, C. J., & Trivette, C. M. (1986). Family Support Scale: Supplemental Scoring Instructions. Morganton, NC: Western Carolina Center.

Dunst, C.J., Leet, H.E., & Trivette, C.M. (1988). Family resources, personal well-being, and early intervention. The Journal of Special Education, 22, 108-116.

Dunst, C. J., Jenkins, V., & Trivette, C. M. (1988). Family Support Scale. In C. J. Dunst, C. M. Trivette, and A. G. Deal (Eds.), Enabling and empowering families: Principles and guidelines for practice (pp. 153-174). Cambridge, MA: Brookline Books.

Dunst C. J., Trivette C. M & Hamby D. W. (1994). Measuring social support in families with young children with disabilities. In: Supporting and Strengthening Families, Vol. 1L: Methods, Strategies, and Practices (eds C. J. Dunst, C. M. Trivette & A. G. Deal), pp. 152– 160. Brookline Books, Cambridge.

The instrument can be reviewed online here: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/226384465

Items of the Family Support Scale (FSS)

How helpful has each of the following been to you in terms of raising your child(ren)?

Sources of support

1. My parents
2. My partner/spouse’s parents
3. My relatives/kin
4. Partner/spouse
5. spouse’s relatives
6. My friends
7. My partner/spouse’s friends
8. My own friends [children]
9. Other parents
10. Co-workers
11. Parent groups
12. Social groups/clubs
13. Place of worship/Religious organizations
14. My family or child’s doctor
15. Professional helpers (social workers, therapists, etc.)
16. Professional agencies (public health, mental health, social services, etc.)
17. School/day-care centers
18. Early intervention programmes

Scoring Key:

NA- not available. 1= not helpful at all, 2= sometimes helpful, 3= generally helpful, 4=very helpful, 5= extremely helpful