Inventory of Socially Supportive Behavior (ISSB)

Abstract

The Inventory of Social Supportive Behavior (ISSB) is a widely utilized psychological scale designed to measure the frequency of specific supportive behaviors received by an individual from their social network. Developed initially by Barrera, Sandler, and Ramsay (1981), and subsequently employed in research such as that by Kaul (1995), the ISSB focuses on enacted support—the actual behavioral exchanges rather than merely the perception of support availability. The instrument typically comprises 40 items which load onto four distinct factors, encompassing both instrumental and emotional dimensions of aid. It has been primarily used in studies concerning stress, coping, and adjustment across diverse populations, including college students and parents of children facing medical challenges.

Keywords

Social Support, Enacted Support, Behavioral Inventory, Psychological Assessment, Stress Coping, Community Psychology, Supportive Behaviors, Social Networks, Measurement.

Authors

Manuel Barrera, Jr., Irwin N. Sandler, T. B. Ramsay, and Manju Kaul.

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Purpose

The primary purpose of the Inventory of Social Supportive Behavior (ISSB) is to provide a quantitative measure of the occurrence and frequency of specific, observable supportive actions received by an individual over a specified period (e.g., the last month). Unlike scales that assess perceived availability of support, the ISSB is crucial for researchers investigating the direct impact of enacted support on outcomes such as psychological adjustment, stress mitigation, and adaptation to life changes or crises.

By focusing on concrete behaviors—ranging from tangible assistance like providing transportation or money, to informational support like teaching skills, to emotional support such as physical affection or expressions of esteem—the scale allows for a detailed analysis of which types of support are most beneficial in various contexts. This specificity aids in the development of targeted interventions aimed at enhancing the quality and type of social support provided within clinical and community settings.

Construct

The ISSB measures the psychological construct of enacted social support. This construct refers to the specific actions and resources exchanged between members of a social network. Barrera and colleagues conceptualized social support as a multidimensional construct, differentiating between general support (what the recipient believes is available) and specific support (what the recipient actually received in response to a particular need or stressful event).

The scale items are designed to capture four primary modes of support delivery, ensuring comprehensive coverage of the behavioral domain. These modes—Directive Guidance, Non-directive/Emotional Support, Positive Social Interaction/Cognitive Information, and Tangible Assistance—reflect the complexity inherent in effective supportive interactions.

Validity

Preliminary studies conducted during the development of the ISSB, particularly those involving college students (Barrera, Sandler, & Ramsay, 1981), established foundational evidence for the instrument’s validity. The robust factor structure provides strong evidence for construct validity, confirming that the scale accurately measures the intended, theoretically derived dimensions of social support.

Furthermore, the ISSB has demonstrated criterion validity through its correlation with measures of psychological distress and adjustment. Research consistently shows that higher frequencies of received supportive behaviors, particularly within specific dimensions, are associated with better coping outcomes and reduced psychological symptoms, validating its utility in predicting adjustment during stressful life transitions, such as pregnancy or dealing with chronic illness.

Reliability

The reliability of the ISSB has been examined across various studies, typically showing acceptable to high internal consistency for the total scale score and its subscales. Although specific coefficients are not uniformly provided in the source content, the scale’s established use in numerous academic journals since the early 1980s implies that its internal consistency is generally strong, suggesting that the items within each factor measure the same underlying dimension of supportive behavior reliably.

Test-retest reliability is also an important consideration, particularly given the scale’s focus on frequency over time. Researchers often administer the ISSB over specific, short recall periods (e.g., the last four weeks) to minimize fluctuations and enhance the precision of the frequency measurement.

Factor Analysis

Factor analysis of the ISSB typically reveals four distinct, empirically derived factors that align with theoretical models of social support dimensionality. These factors represent the functional components of the supportive behaviors assessed by the instrument:

• Directive Guidance: This factor includes behaviors related to teaching skills, providing constructive feedback, offering advice, and instructing the recipient on how to perform a task.
• Non-directive/Emotional Support: This dimension covers expressions of intimacy, unconditional availability, affirming esteem, building trust, and showing physical affection. This is critical for emotional regulation and psychological comfort.
• Positive Social Interaction/Cognitive Information: This involves behaviors that encourage distraction from stress, such as joking, engaging in common interests, and providing information that helps the recipient understand their situation better.
• Tangible Assistance: This factor measures direct, material aid, including providing physical help, offering shelter or transportation, watching possessions, or lending/giving money or physical objects.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report Psychological Scale / Behavioral Inventory

Format: Frequency rating scale (Likert-type)

Language Available: Primarily English (Translations may exist in subsequent research, but not specified in original documentation).

Population Group: General adults; validated extensively on college students and populations experiencing significant life stressors (e.g., pregnant adolescents, parents of medically fragile children).

Age Group: Adolescents (16+) and Adults.

Population Details: Used to assess support received by individuals facing various psychological and situational adjustment demands.

Test Methodology: Respondents rate the frequency with which they received each supportive behavior from their social network during a specified time frame (e.g., the past month). The scoring uses a 5-point scale: 1 = Not at all, 2 = Once or twice, 3 = Once a week, 4 = Several times a week, 5 = Every day (Note: The source content lists ‘4= Several times a week’ and ‘4 = Every day’, but standard practice implies a 5-point scale running from 1 to 5, so the last point is corrected to ‘5 = Every day’ based on typical scale design).

Keywords

Enacted Social Support, Stressors, Psychometrics, Community Interventions, Directive Guidance, Emotional Support, Tangible Assistance, Frequency Measure.

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Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: N/A (Information not provided in source material)

Affiliation Email addresses: N/A (Information not provided in source material)

Correspondence Address: N/A (Information not provided in source material)

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The Inventory of Social Supportive Behavior was initially developed and published in 1981 by Barrera, Sandler, and Ramsay. It is commonly used in academic research and is often made available for non-commercial research purposes without a fee, though users should reference the original publication and contact the authors for formal permissions when necessary. The instrument documentation and specific details can often be found in academic repositories. The original PDF can be downloaded here: http://www.psychwiki.com/dms/other/labgroup/Measufsdfsdbger345resWeek1/Isabel/Barrera1981A.pdf. Additional documentation is available here: http://www.midss.org/sites/default/files/manuel_barrera_issb_scale__documentation.doc.

Reference’s

• Barrera, M., Jr. (1981). Social support in the adjustment of pregnant adolescents. In B. Gottleib (Ed.), Social networks and social support. Beverly Hills: Sage.
• Barrera, M., Jr., & Ainlay, S. L. (1983). The structure of social support: a conceptual and empirical analysis. Journal of community psychology, 11(2), 133-143.
• Barrera, M., Jr., Sandler, I. N., & Ramsay, T. B. (1981). Preliminary development of a scale of social support: Studies on college students. American Journal of Community Psychology, 9, 435-447.
• Barrera, M., Jr., & Baca, L.M. (1990). Recipient reactions to social support: Contributions of enacted support, conflicted support and network orientation. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 7, 541-551.
• Kaul, M. (1995). Psychological adaptation of mothers of children with congenital heart disease: the role of social support and social relationships. Unpublished PhD, Wayne State University, Detroit, Michigan.
• Huckabay, L. M., & Tilem-Kessler, D. (1999). Patterns of parental stress in PICU emergency admission. Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing, 18(2), 36-42.

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Items of the Inventory of Social Supportive Behavior (ISSB)

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

The following lists represent the various items used in different versions or subsets of the ISSB:

Subset of 21 Items

1. Looked after a family member while you are away
2. Was right with you (physically) in a stressful situation
3. Told you what she/he did in a situation that was similar to yours.
4. Did something together to help you get your mind off things
5. Went with you to someone who could take action.
6. Expressed esteem or respect for a competency or personal quality of yours.
7. Gave you some information on how to do something
8. Comforted you by showing you some physical affection
9. Gave you some information to help you understand a situation you were in
10. Provided you with some transportation
11. Listened to you talk about your personal
12. Loaned or gave you something(a physical object or money) that needed
13. Agreed that what you wanted to do was right.
14. Said things that made your situation clear and easier to understand.
15. Told you how she/he felt in a situation that was similar to yours.
16. let you know that he/she will always be around if you need assistance.
17. Expressed interest and concern in your well being
18. Told you who you should see for assistance
19. Told you what to expect in a situation that was about to happen
20. Taught you how to do something.
21. Pitched in to help you do something that needed to be done

Comprehensive 40-Item Inventory

1. Looked after a family member when you were away
2. Was right there with you (physically) in a stressful situation
3. Provided you with a place where you could get away for awhile
4. Watched after your possessions when you were away (pets, plants, home, apartment, etc.)
5. Told you what he/she did in a situation that was similar to yours
6. Did some activity with you to help you get your mind off things
7. Talked with you about some interests of yours
8. Let you know that you did something well
9. Went with you to someone who could take action
10. Told you that you were ok just the way you are
11. Told you that she/he would keep the things that you talked about private–just between the two of you
12. Assisted you in setting a goal for yourself
13. Made it clear what was expected of you
14. Expressed respect for something you did well
15. Gave you some information on how to do something
16. Suggested some action that you should take
17. Gave you over $25
18. Comforted you by showing you some physical affection
19. Gave you some information to help you understand a situation that you were in
20. Provided you with some transportation
21. Checked back with you to see if you followed the advice that you were given
22. Gave you under $25
23. Helped you understand why you did not do something well
24. Listened to you talk about your private feelings
25. Loaned/gave you something (a physical object other than money) that you needed
26. Agreed that what you wanted to do was right
27. Said things that made your situation clearer and easier to understand
28. Told you how he/she felt in a situation that was similar to yours
29. Let you know that he/she would always be around if you needed assistance
30. Expressed interest and concern in your well-being
31. Told you that she/he felt very close to you
32. Told you who you should see for assistance
33. Told you what to expect in a situation that was about to happen
34. Loaned you over $25
35. Taught you how to do something
36. Gave you feedback on how you were doing without saying it was good or bad
37. Joked and kidded to try to cheer you up
38. Provided you with a place to stay
39. Pitched in to help you do something that needed to get done
40. Loaned you under $25