Social Support List – Interactions / Social Support List – Discrepancies / Social Support List – Interactions-12

Abstract

The Sociale Steun Lijst (SSL), or Social Support List, is a comprehensive psychological instrument designed to measure various aspects of social support. It exists in two primary forms: the SSL–Interacties (SSL-I) and the SSL–Discrepanties (SSL-D). The SSL-I consists of 34 items assessing different forms of supportive interactions, supplemented by 7 items dedicated to measuring negative interactions. The SSL-D, administered following the SSL-I, also contains 34 items but focuses on the perceived discrepancy between the support received and the support needed by the respondent. A crucial short form, the SSL-I-12, is also available, measuring 12 items across three specific dimensions of support: everyday support, support during problems, and appreciation support.

Keywords

Social support, Sociale Steun Lijst, SSL-I, SSL-D, SSL-I-12, Perceived support, Needed support, Psychometrics, Interpersonal interactions, Questionnaire, Elderly, Adults.

Authors

van Sonderen E (1991), van Eijk LM, Kempen GIJM, van Sonderen FLP (1993).

Purpose

The primary purpose of the SSL instruments is the systematic assessment of a respondent’s social network interactions and the quality of the social support provided. The SSL-I specifically aims to quantify the frequency and types of supportive and negative interactions experienced by the individual within their social environment.

By pairing the SSL-I and SSL-D, researchers can move beyond mere frequency counting. The combined use allows for an essential comparison between the respondent’s perception of social support received and their desired or needed level of support, providing a crucial measure of support satisfaction or inadequacy, which is highly relevant in clinical and geriatric settings.

Construct

The core construct measured is social support, operationalized through two distinct but related dimensions: frequency of interaction and discrepancy. The SSL-I focuses on the behavioral aspect, mapping supportive and negative interactions, thus reflecting the functional availability of the respondent’s social network.

The SSL-D operationalizes the concept of ‘support fit’ or ‘support satisfaction.’ This measure of discrepancy—the gap between ‘is’ (received support) and ‘ought’ (needed support)—is critical for understanding psychological adjustment, as a large negative discrepancy often correlates with increased stress or poorer psychological outcomes.

Validity

While specific detailed psychometric data regarding the validity of the SSL-I and SSL-D are not provided in the source documentation, standardized psychological questionnaires of this nature typically undergo rigorous validation processes to ensure accurate measurement.

Expected forms of validation include construct validity, ensuring the instrument accurately measures the theoretical concept of social support, often demonstrated through correlations with established scales measuring related constructs (e.g., loneliness, well-being). Additionally, criterion validity, particularly predictive validity related to health outcomes or recovery rates, is generally sought, especially given its application among the Elderly and Adults.

Reliability

The reliability of the SSL instruments is crucial for ensuring consistent measurement. High internal consistency, typically assessed using Cronbach’s alpha, is expected across the subscales of the SSL-I (supportive interactions, negative interactions) and the SSL-D items.

Test-retest reliability studies are also fundamental, especially for measures of stable traits like perceived network availability, ensuring that scores remain consistent over time when no significant life changes occur. The shorter version, SSL-I-12, would require separate reliability confirmation due to its modified structure and reduced item count.

Factor Analysis

The structure of the SSL instruments suggests that Factor Analysis was utilized during development to confirm the underlying dimensions of social support being measured. For the SSL-I-12, the authors explicitly identified three distinct factors:

• Everyday Support (alledaagse steun)
• Support During Problems (steun bij problemen)
• Appreciation Support (waarderingssteun)

Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) is typically employed to verify that these hypothesized structures accurately represent the covariance among the items, ensuring the scales are measuring distinct facets of the construct related to interpersonal interactions and relationships.

Instrument

Test Type: Questionnaire (Vragenlijst)

Format: Self-report scale. The SSL-I comprises 41 items (34 supportive, 7 negative). The SSL-D comprises 34 discrepancy items. The SSL-I-12 is a short form with 12 items.

Language Available: Primarily Dutch (as indicated by the name “Sociale Steun Lijst”).

Population Group: Clinical and non-clinical populations.

Age Group: Adults and the Elderly.

Population Details: Applicable for studies focusing on health psychology, gerontology, and general psychological well-being where interpersonal interactions and relationships are key variables.

Test Methodology: Standardized self-administered survey methodology designed for assessing interpersonal interactions and relationships.

Keywords

Gerontology, Health psychology, Support discrepancy, Negative interactions, Self-report, van Sonderen, van Eijk, Psychometrics, Support satisfaction.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Information not provided in the source.

Affiliation Email addresses: Information not provided in the source.

Correspondence Address: Information not provided in the source.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The SSL-I and SSL-D were first published in 1991 by van Sonderen E. The shorter version, SSL-I-12, was published two years later in 1993 by van Eijk LM, Kempen GIJM, and van Sonderen FLP. Specific information regarding current usage fees or permissions required for academic research is not detailed in the source documentation and should be sought directly from the primary authors or copyright holders.

Reference’s

• van Sonderen E. (1991). Sociale Steun Lijst – Interacties / Sociale Steun Lijst – Discrepanties (SSL-I/SSL-D).
• van Eijk LM, Kempen GIJM, van Sonderen FLP. (1993). Sociale Steun Lijst – Interacties-12 (SSL-I-12).
• The original explanation form (Toelichtingsformulier) can be downloaded here: Toelichtingsformulier PDF.
• The SSL-12 measurement instrument can be downloaded here: SSL-12 PDF.

Items of the Sociale Steun Lijst – Interacties / Sociale Steun Lijst – Discrepanties / Sociale Steun Lijst – Interacties-12

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

The source documentation describes the content and quantity of the items, but does not list the individual questions. These descriptions are:

• SSL-I (Interacties): The instrument consists of 34 items relating to various forms of supportive interactions. Additionally, 7 items are included relating to negative interactions.
• SSL-D (Discrepanties): The instrument consists of 34 items. In contrast to the questioning for interactions, the discrepancy items inquire about the extent to which the obtained support corresponds to the respondent’s need.
• SSL-I-12 (Short Form): The 12-item version measures 3 types of support: alledaagse steun, steun bij problemen, and waarderingssteun.