Table of Contents
Abstract
The Social Adjustment Scale-Self Report (SAS-SR, often referred to as SAS) is a widely utilized self-report instrument designed for the comprehensive assessment of an individual’s social functioning and performance across key life roles. Developed primarily by Myrna M. Weissman, the scale quantifies the degree of social impairment experienced, typically focusing on the two weeks immediately preceding administration. It is particularly valuable in clinical and research settings, especially those studying conditions like depression, where measuring the impact of illness on daily life is crucial. The SAS-SR covers multiple domains, including work, family, leisure, and intimate relationships, providing both an overall score and subscale scores for detailed analysis of specific areas of dysfunction.
Keywords
Social adjustment, Social functioning, Role performance, Self-report scale, Depression, Psychiatric assessment, Quality of life, Psychopathology
Authors
Myrna M. Weissman, Eugene S. Paykel, Gerald L. Klerman, Betty A. Prusoff
Purpose
The primary purpose of the Social Adjustment Scale-Self Report (SAS-SR) is to provide a quantitative measure of the quality of an individual’s performance in major social and instrumental roles. This allows clinicians and researchers to assess the severity of impairment in real-world functioning, distinguishing between objective difficulties (such as missing work) and subjective distress (such as feeling inadequate or ashamed in a role). Originally developed to measure changes in social adjustment in patients undergoing treatment for affective disorders, the SAS-SR is now used broadly in general medical, community, and psychiatric populations to track functional outcomes.
The scale is highly effective in measuring the impact of mental health conditions, such as depression, on daily life. By utilizing a two-week retrospective assessment period, the SAS-SR offers a snapshot of recent functional status, which is essential for evaluating treatment efficacy and understanding the trajectory of recovery in clinical trials.
Construct
The SAS-SR is a multidimensional instrument designed to measure the construct of social adjustment, defined as the effective performance of social roles within a given environment. The scale operationalizes this construct into six major areas of functioning, or subscales, which reflect the primary roles typically held by adults:
- Work/Occupational Role: Measures performance, satisfaction, and interpersonal relations in paid employment or as a student.
- Social and Leisure Activities: Assesses engagement, satisfaction, and comfort in spare-time activities and friendships.
- Extended Family Role: Evaluates relationships, communication, and dependency dynamics with relatives not living at home.
- Marital/Partner Role: Focuses on communication, affection, arguments, dependency, and sexual functioning within intimate relationships.
- Parental Role: Measures involvement, communication, and conflicts with children living at home.
- Home Duties/Financial Role: Assesses performance of housework (if applicable) and management of financial needs.
The scoring system typically ranges from 1 (very good functioning) to 5 (very poor functioning), with higher scores indicating greater dysfunction or impairment in social adjustment.
Validity
The SAS-SR exhibits strong Psychometric properties, supporting its validity across various populations. Early validation studies demonstrated high criterion validity, showing that scores successfully discriminated between depressed psychiatric outpatients and healthy control groups. Furthermore, the scale demonstrates convergent validity through significant correlations with other measures of psychopathology and social functioning, such as the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression and global functioning scores.
Construct validity is supported by the scale’s sensitivity to change. Studies frequently show that SAS-SR scores improve significantly following successful treatment for depression or other psychiatric disorders, confirming its utility as an outcome measure reflecting real-world functional recovery. The development of shorter versions (e.g., the Screener and Short forms) has also undergone rigorous validation, maintaining high correlations with the full-scale score.
Reliability
The reliability of the SAS-SR, both in its full and abbreviated forms, is generally considered good to excellent. Internal consistency, often measured using Cronbach’s alpha, typically ranges between 0.80 and 0.90 for the total score, indicating high homogeneity among the scale items. Subscale internal consistency varies, but remains acceptable for distinct domain measurement.
Test-retest reliability is adequate when assessed over short time intervals (e.g., one to two weeks), suggesting stability in reported social functioning in the absence of clinical change. Furthermore, the self-report nature of the scale minimizes the need for inter-rater reliability checks, although the original interviewer-rated version demonstrated high inter-rater agreement, lending confidence to the clarity and objectivity of the underlying items.
Factor Analysis
Factor analytic studies consistently support the multidimensional structure of the SAS-SR, confirming that the scale is composed of distinct, yet interrelated, subscales corresponding to the major social roles. Principal component analysis typically extracts six primary factors, aligning precisely with the six role areas (Work, Social/Leisure, Extended Family, Marital/Partner, Parental, and Financial). This structural integrity ensures that the scale provides meaningful clinical information beyond a single global adjustment score, allowing for targeted intervention and assessment in areas where a patient is most impaired.
Instrument
Test Type: Psychometric Self-Report Questionnaire
Format: 54 items (Full version, with skip patterns based on current roles) using 5-point Likert-type scales (1=very good to 5=very poor).
Language Available: English, with translations available in numerous languages for international research (e.g., Spanish, French, German).
Population Group: Clinical psychiatric populations (e.g., patients with depression or anxiety disorders) and general community samples.
Age Group: Adolescents (adapted versions exist) and Adults (18+).
Population Details: Originally validated primarily on women with depression, subsequent research has confirmed its applicability across genders and various clinical diagnostic groups.
Test Methodology: Assesses functioning over the preceding two weeks. Scoring yields a total adjustment score and six subscale scores. The instrument is administered either by self-completion or through a structured interview.
Keywords
Social Adjustment Scale, SAS-SR, Role functioning, Outcome measures, Mental health assessment, Clinical research, Psychometric properties, Weissman
Authors
Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (Information not publicly provided for all original authors)
Affiliation Email addresses: N/A (Information not publicly provided)
Correspondence Address: Correspondence is typically handled through the commercial publisher, Multi-Health Systems, Inc. (MHS), or the primary author’s affiliated institution (e.g., Columbia University/New York State Psychiatric Institute for Myrna M. Weissman).
Permissions & Fee and Test Year
The Social Adjustment Scale-Self Report (SAS-SR) is commercially distributed and copyrighted by Multi-Health Systems, Inc. (MHS). Use in clinical practice or large-scale research typically requires purchasing test materials, scoring software, and obtaining formal permission or a license from the publisher. The scale was originally developed and published in the early 1970s (1971) by Myrna M. Weissman and colleagues, with the SAS-SR User’s Manual published in 1999.
Reference’s
- Weissman, M.M., Klerman, G.L., Paykel, E.S. (1971). Clinical evaluation of hostility in depression. Am J Psychiatry 128:261–266.
- Paykel, .ES., Weissman, M., Prusoff, B.A., et al. (1971). Dimensions of social adjustment in depressed women. J Nerv Ment Dis, 152:158–172.
- Weissman, M.M., Paykel, E.S., Siegel, R., et al. (1971). The social role performance of depressed women: comparisons with a normal group. Am J Orthopsychiatry, 41:390–405.
- Weissman, M.M., Bothwell, S. (1976). Assessment of social adjustment by patient self-report. Arch Gen Psychiatry, 33(9):1111–1115.
- Weissman, M.M., Prusoff, B.A., Thompson, W.D., et al. (1978). Social adjustment by self-report in a community sample and in psychiatric outpatients. J Nerv Ment Dis, 166:317–326.
- Weissman, M.M., Paykel, E.S., Prusoff, B.A. (1985). Social Adjustment Scale handbook: rationale, reliability, validity, scoring, and training guide. New Haven, CT: Yale University School of Medicine (Manuscript).
- Weissman M. MHS Staff.(1999). Social Adjustment Scale – Self-report (SAS-SR) User’s Manual. North Tonawanda, NY: Multi-Health Systems, Inc.
- Weissman, M.M., Olfson, M., Gameroff, M.J., et al. (2001). A comparison of three scales for assessing social functioning in primary care. Am J Psychiatry, 158(3):460–466.
- Gameroff, M.J., Wickramaratne, P., Weissman, M.M. (2012). Testing the Short and Screener versions of the Social Adjustment Scale –Self-report (SAS-SR). Int J Methods Psychiatr Res, 21(1):52-65.
- Weissman, M.M., Wickramaratne, P., Nomura, Y., Warner, V., Pilowsky, D., Verdeli, H. (2006). Offspring of depressed parents: 20 years later. Am J Psychiatry, 163(6):1001-8.
- McDowell, Ian. (2006). Measuring Health: A Guide to Rating Scales and Questionnaires, Third Edition. OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS
- Rzepa, Sara R,. Weissman, M.M. (2014). Social Adjustment Scale Self-Report (SAS-SR). Encyclopedia of Quality of Life and Well-Being Research, 6017-6021
The original PDF of a version of this instrument can be downloaded here: www.a4ebm.org/sites/default/files/Measuring Health.pdf
Items of the Social Adjustment Scale-Self Report (SAS)
IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.
Cite this article
Mohammed looti (2025). Social Adjustment Scale-Self Report (SAS). Psychological Scales & Instruments Database. Retrieved from https://db.arabpsychology.com/scales/social-adjustment-scale-self-report-sas/
Mohammed looti. "Social Adjustment Scale-Self Report (SAS)." Psychological Scales & Instruments Database, 14 Oct. 2025, https://db.arabpsychology.com/scales/social-adjustment-scale-self-report-sas/.
Mohammed looti. "Social Adjustment Scale-Self Report (SAS)." Psychological Scales & Instruments Database, 2025. https://db.arabpsychology.com/scales/social-adjustment-scale-self-report-sas/.
Mohammed looti (2025) 'Social Adjustment Scale-Self Report (SAS)', Psychological Scales & Instruments Database. Available at: https://db.arabpsychology.com/scales/social-adjustment-scale-self-report-sas/.
[1] Mohammed looti, "Social Adjustment Scale-Self Report (SAS)," Psychological Scales & Instruments Database, vol. X, no. Y, ص Z-Z, October, 2025.
Mohammed looti. Social Adjustment Scale-Self Report (SAS). Psychological Scales & Instruments Database. 2025;vol(issue):pages.