Scale of Perceived Social Support – Significant Other Adult

Abstract

The Scale of Perceived Social Support- Significant Other Adult (SOPSS-SOA) is a brief, four-item instrument designed to measure an individual’s subjective feeling regarding the availability and quality of perceived social support specifically derived from a single, primary source identified as a significant other. Developed by Canty-Mitchell and Zimet in 2000, this scale is often used as a component of larger assessments, focusing on the relational domain of support that is crucial for psychological well-being, particularly among younger and transitional populations. High scores on this scale indicate a strong perception of reliable and comforting support from this special individual.

Keywords

Perceived social support, Significant other, Psychological measurement, Adolescence, Self-report scale, Psychometric properties, Social psychology

Authors

Canty-Mitchell, J., Zimet, G. D.

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Purpose

The primary purpose of the Scale of Perceived Social Support- Significant Other Adult is to provide a focused, quantitative measure of the respondent’s belief that a specific individual—the significant other—is available to provide comfort, emotional sharing, and practical assistance when needed. This assessment is vital in clinical and research settings where the quality of primary dyadic relationships is under scrutiny.

This instrument allows researchers to differentiate support received from a specific individual from broader support networks (such as family or friends), offering greater specificity when investigating the impact of attachment figures or key mentors on mental health outcomes. The scale utilizes a Likert scale response format, where items are summed to provide a single total score reflecting the overall level of perceived support from the significant other.

Construct

The scale measures the construct of Perceived Social Support, which is defined not by the objective amount of support received, but rather by the individual’s subjective appraisal that aid, comfort, and emotional resources are available to them if required. This perception is generally considered a stronger predictor of positive psychological adjustment and stress buffering than actual support transactions.

The SOPSS-SOA specifically taps into the emotional and instrumental assurance provided by a single, critical relationship. The items emphasize feelings of care, comfort, and the ability to share both joys and sorrows, highlighting the emotional depth of the supportive relationship with the significant other.

Validity

The validity of the SOPSS-SOA is typically established through studies examining its correlation with other established measures of social support, loneliness, and psychological distress. The foundational study by Canty-Mitchell and Zimet (2000), focusing on urban adolescents, provided evidence of construct validity by demonstrating that higher levels of perceived support from a significant other were inversely related to indicators of poor psychological adjustment.

Furthermore, this subscale often exhibits strong discriminant validity, showing that while it correlates positively with measures of overall well-being, it remains distinct from measures of general self-esteem or personality traits, confirming that it specifically measures the relational construct of perceived support.

Reliability

Reliability for the SOPSS-SOA is typically assessed using internal consistency measures, such as Cronbach’s alpha. Given that this scale is a derivative of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), it generally demonstrates high internal consistency, often yielding alpha coefficients in the acceptable to excellent range (e.g., above .80) within diverse populations, confirming that the four items consistently measure the same underlying construct.

Factor Analysis

As a four-item instrument designed to isolate support from a specific source (the significant other), the SOPSS-SOA is structured to represent a single, clear factor. When used as part of the broader MSPSS, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) studies consistently support the distinction of this factor from the other subscales (Family and Friends). The items load heavily onto the single “Significant Other” factor, confirming its unidimensionality and appropriateness for calculating a single summed score.

Instrument

Test Type: Rating Scale (Self-report)

Format: Four items measured on a 5-point Likert scale.

Language Available: Primarily English (as developed in the U.S.), but translations are often available due to its derivation from the widely used MSPSS.

Population Group: Adolescents and Adults.

Age Group: Typically utilized with individuals aged 12 and above.

Population Details: Originally validated on samples of urban adolescents, but frequently used across various community and clinical adult populations.

Test Methodology: Respondents rate their agreement with each statement using the following choices: Rarely or Never = 1, A Little Bit = 2, Sometimes = 3, A Good Part of the Time = 4, Always = 5. Items are summed to produce a total score, with higher scores indicating higher levels of perceived social support.

Keywords

Support measurement, Psychological assessment, Significant other support, Psychometric properties, Urban youth, Emotional well-being, Stress buffering

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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 scale was published in 2000 by Canty-Mitchell and Zimet. Information regarding specific permissions and fees for commercial use should be directed toward the primary author or the journal publisher (American Journal of Community Psychology). The instrument is widely used for non-commercial academic research due to its origin as a derivative of the MSPSS, which is generally available for research purposes.

The original instrument details can be found on pages 103-104 of Assessing Outcomes in Child and Youth Programs: A Practical Handbook, available online at: http://fyi.uwex.edu/topic/youth/. The original PDF for the handbook can be downloaded here: http://4h.uwex.edu/evaluation/documents/ChildYouthOutcomeHandbook2005.pdf

Reference’s

Canty-Mitchell, J & Zimet, G. D. (2000). Psychometric properties of the multidimensional scale of perceived social support in urban adolescents. American Journal of Community Psychology, 28 (3), 391- 403.

Assessing Outcomes in Child and Youth Programs: A Practical Handbook (2005). University of Wisconsin-Extension.

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Items of the Scale of Perceived Social Support- Significant Other Adult

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 my joys and sorrows.
3. I have a special person who is a real source of comfort to me.
4. There is a special person in my life who cares about my feelings.