Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS)

Abstract

The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) is a widely utilized, brief self-report instrument designed to assess the subjective adequacy of perceived social support. Developed by Zimet, Dahlem, Zimet, and Farley in 1988, the scale measures an individual’s perception of support availability from three specific sources: Family, Friends, and a Significant Other. The MSPSS is valued for its strong psychometrics properties and ease of administration, making it a critical tool in research contexts exploring the relationship between social resources and psychological well-being across diverse populations.

The instrument consists of 12 items rated on a 7-point Likert Scale, providing both a total score of overall perceived support and distinct subscale scores reflecting the specific sources of support. This multidimensional approach allows researchers to differentiate between the quality and availability of support derived from various relationship types.

Keywords

Perceived social support, MSPSS, psychometrics, psychological assessment, family support, friend support, significant other, well-being, coping, self-report scale.

Authors

Zimet, G. D., Dahlem, N. W., Zimet, S. G., Farley, G. K.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the MSPSS is to quantitatively measure the degree to which an individual believes that support is available to them from key social resources. Unlike scales that measure objective support (e.g., the number of interactions), the MSPSS focuses on the subjective perception and satisfaction with the support network. This subjective perception of support has consistently been shown to be a stronger predictor of positive psychological outcomes than the objective size of one’s network.

The scale is frequently employed in clinical, health, and developmental psychology research to examine how perceived support acts as a buffer against stress, contributes to resilience, and influences mental health outcomes, including depression and anxiety.

Construct

The MSPSS measures the construct of Perceived Social Support. This construct is defined as the belief that one is cared for, loved, esteemed, and a member of a network of mutual obligations, reflecting the individual’s cognitive appraisal of the availability and adequacy of their social resources.

The scale is structured around three distinct factors, representing the perceived availability of support from specific sources:

• Family Support: Items assessing the perceived help and comfort derived from immediate or extended family members.
• Friends Support: Items assessing the perceived reliability and sharing of joys/sorrows with friends.
• Significant Other Support: Items assessing the perceived availability of a special person who offers comfort, care, and presence during times of need.

Validity

Initial studies demonstrated strong construct validity for the MSPSS, confirming the hypothesized three-factor structure. Subsequent research across diverse cultural and demographic groups, such as the study by Edwards (2004) on Mexican American youth, has consistently supported the scale’s structural integrity.

The MSPSS exhibits strong concurrent and predictive validity. Scores on the MSPSS typically correlate positively with measures of psychological adjustment, self-esteem, and life satisfaction, while showing negative correlations with measures of loneliness, depression, and perceived stress, affirming that the scale measures a protective factor in mental health.

Reliability

The MSPSS demonstrates excellent internal consistency across its subscales and for the total scale score, as reported in the original 1988 validation study by Zimet et al. Internal consistency is typically measured using Cronbach’s Alpha coefficients.

The reported Cronbach’s Alpha coefficients (Zimet et al., 1988) are exceptionally high, indicating that the items within each dimension reliably measure the intended construct:

• Significant Other Subscale: 0.91
• Family Subscale: 0.87
• Friends Subscale: 0.85
• Total Scale: 0.88

Test-retest reliability has also been confirmed in various studies, suggesting the scale provides stable measurements of perceived social support over time.

Factor Analysis

The development of the MSPSS utilized Factor Analysis to determine the underlying structure of the scale. The results consistently support a three-factor model, corresponding precisely to the three sources of support: Family, Friends, and Significant Other.

Each factor is represented by four items, totaling 12 items for the entire scale. This clean factor structure confirms the multidimensional nature of perceived social support and allows researchers to analyze the unique contribution of each support source to overall well-being. Items 1, 2, 5, and 10 load onto the Significant Other factor; items 3, 4, 8, and 11 load onto the Family factor; and items 6, 7, 9, and 12 load onto the Friends factor.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report psychological scale

Format: 12 items rated on a 7-point Likert Scale

Language Available: English (Original), widely translated into numerous languages (e.g., Spanish, Chinese, Arabic) due to its strong cross-cultural validity.

Population Group: General population, utilized across various clinical and non-clinical settings.

Age Group: Adolescents (13+) through adulthood.

Population Details: Originally validated on adolescents, the MSPSS has been successfully applied to diverse populations, including college students, patients with chronic illnesses, and ethnic minority groups (e.g., Mexican American youth, as per Edwards, 2004).

Test Methodology: Respondents indicate their level of agreement with each statement using the following 7-point scale:

1. Very strongly disagree
2. Strongly disagree
3. Mildly disagree
4. Neutral
5. Mildly agree
6. Strongly agree
7. Very strongly agree

Keywords

Social resources, psychological well-being, assessment tool, mental health, multidimensional, reliability, Cronbach’s Alpha, Factor Analysis, Zimet.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not specified in source content.

Affiliation Email addresses: Not specified in source content.

Correspondence Address: Not specified in source content.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The MSPSS is generally considered a publicly available scale for non-commercial research and clinical use, though researchers should always confirm current usage policies with the original authors or their institutions. The scale was originally published and validated in 1988.

The instrument can be found in various published sources. For instance, this instrument is located on pages 64-65 of Latino Families and Youth: A Compendium of Assessment Tools. The original document can be accessed here: http://www.paho.org/hq/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_view&gid=23171&Itemid

Reference’s

• Zimet, G. D., Dahlem, N. W., Zimet, S. G., & Farley, G. K. (1988). The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Journal of Personality Assessment, 52(1), 30-41.
• Edwards, L. M. (2004). Measuring perceived social support in Mexican American youth: Psychometric properties of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Hispanic Journal of Behavioral Sciences, 26(2), 187-194.

Items of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS)

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

1. There is a special person who is around when I am in need.
2. There is a special person with whom I can share joys and sorrows.
3. My family really tries to help me.
4. I get the emotional help and support that I need from my family.
5. I have a special person who is a real source of comfort to me.
6. My friends really try to help me.
7. I can count on my friends when things go wrong.
8. I can talk about my problems with my family.
9. I have friends with whom I can share my joys and sorrows.
10. There is a special person in my life who cares about my feelings.
11. My family is willing to help me make decisions.
12. I can talk about my problems with my friends.