Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL) – General Population

Abstract

The Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL) is a robust 40-item psychological scale developed to quantify an individual’s subjective evaluation of the availability of social support resources. Unlike measures focusing on the frequency of social interaction, the ISEL specifically assesses the perceived potential for support should a stressful event arise.

The instrument is designed to provide both a comprehensive total score and four distinct functional subscale scores: Tangible Support, Appraisal Support, Self-Esteem Support, and Belonging Support. The ISEL employs careful counterbalancing of positively and negatively worded items to minimize response bias, positioning it as a highly valuable tool for researchers investigating stress, coping mechanisms, and the crucial role of perceived social resources.

Keywords

Interpersonal Support Evaluation List, ISEL, social support, perceived availability, psychological instrument, functional support, stress buffering, psychometrics, tangible support, appraisal support, self-esteem support, belonging support.

Authors

Sheldon Cohen, H. Hoberman, R. Mermelstein, T. Kamarck.

Purpose

The central objective of the ISEL is to accurately measure the respondent’s belief in the accessibility of potential social support resources. This focus on perceived availability is crucial because the subjective belief that support is available is often more predictive of positive health outcomes than the objective presence of a large social network.

The scale was developed to operationalize the theory that social support is multi-faceted, serving different functions depending on the need. By generating scores for four separate components, the ISEL enables researchers to pinpoint specific areas of perceived deficiency or strength, which is vital for both theoretical advancement in stress and coping research and for designing targeted preventative interventions.

Construct

The primary psychological construct assessed by the ISEL is the subjective evaluation of functional social support. This construct views social support not as a singular variable but as a collection of resources organized into four theoretically distinct, yet interconnected, dimensions. These dimensions capture the diverse ways in which social relationships can provide aid and comfort:

• Tangible Support: Pertains to the perceived availability of material resources or direct behavioral assistance, such as loans, transportation, or help with physical chores or maintenance.
• Appraisal Support: Relates to the perceived availability of reliable individuals who can offer objective feedback, advice, or guidance concerning personal problems or major life decisions.
• Self-Esteem Support: Measures the perception that there are people available who provide positive social comparison and feedback, thereby reinforcing the individual’s sense of competence, self-worth, and positive identity.
• Belonging Support: Measures the perceived availability of individuals with whom one can share interests, socialize, and feel integrated into a community or peer group, reflecting a sense of social connectedness.

Validity

The validity of the ISEL is well-documented, primarily stemming from its rigorous theoretical foundation and demonstrated utility across various research contexts. The scale exhibits strong construct validity, successfully differentiating the overarching concept of social support into the four hypothesized functional components. This multi-dimensional structure confirms that the subscales measure distinct yet related aspects of social resources.

Furthermore, the ISEL has consistently shown robust predictive validity. Numerous studies have confirmed its efficacy in modeling the stress-buffering hypothesis—that is, the perceived availability of support, as measured by the ISEL, significantly moderates the negative relationship between high levels of life stress and adverse psychological outcomes, such as depression and anxiety. The intentional counterbalancing of positively and negatively phrased items serves to minimize acquiescence and other response biases, further enhancing the trustworthiness of the resulting scores.

Reliability

High psychometric rigor was prioritized during the initial development of the ISEL to ensure dependable measurement. The scale consistently demonstrates acceptable to good internal consistency, typically quantified using Cronbach’s alpha coefficients, for both the overall measure and its individual subscales across diverse populations. This suggests that items within each subscale are highly homogeneous and reliably measure the intended underlying dimension.

In addition to internal consistency, the ISEL has demonstrated adequate test-retest reliability over time intervals ranging from several weeks to a few months. This temporal stability indicates that an individual’s fundamental perception of their core social support structure is relatively consistent, providing reliable data for longitudinal studies, provided no major life events drastically reshape the respondent’s social network.

Factor Analysis

The ISEL is structurally organized around a stable four-factor model, empirically derived through rigorous factor analytic procedures by Cohen and colleagues in 1985. The 40 items are systematically divided into four 10-item subscales, each mapping directly onto one of the distinct functional support types detailed in the construct section.

The authors employed a sophisticated item selection strategy aimed at maximizing the independence of the subscales. Items were chosen based on high correlation with their designated factor and minimal correlation with the other three factors. This approach successfully confirmed the utility of the four-factor structure, providing a more detailed and nuanced assessment of perceived support than a single global measure could achieve.

• Appraisal items: 1, 6, 11, 17, 19, 22, 26, 30, 36, 38
• Tangible items: 2, 9, 14, 16, 18, 23, 29, 33, 35, 39
• Self-esteem items: 3, 4, 8, 13, 20, 24, 28, 32, 37, 40
• Belonging items: 5, 7, 10, 12, 15, 21, 25, 27, 31, 34

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report psychological scale.

Format: 40 statements rated using a 4-point Likert scale. Response options range from “definitely true” (3) to “definitely false” (0). Scoring is complex due to the requirement for reverse-coding 20 items to control for potential acquiescence bias.

Language Available: English (Original); widely translated and adapted for use in various cross-cultural research settings.

Population Group: General population, including non-clinical adults, college students, and community samples.

Age Group: Adolescents (16 years and older) and Adults.

Population Details: Primarily utilized in non-clinical research settings spanning social psychology, public health, stress management, and studies concerning coping mechanisms.

Test Methodology: Standardized self-administration, suitable for both paper-and-pencil and digital platforms. Total scores can range from 0 to 120, while subscale scores range from 0 to 30. Higher scores consistently indicate a greater perceived availability of social support resources.

Keywords

psychometrics, self-report measure, functional support, social resources, perceived support, item counterbalancing, psychological assessment, stress buffer, construct validity, predictive validity.

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 (Researchers should refer to the current institutional affiliations of the primary authors, typically Carnegie Mellon University for S. Cohen).

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

The 40-item version of the ISEL was initially published in 1983. It is generally accessible for non-commercial academic and educational research purposes. Researchers intending to use the scale should always consult the primary authors or their affiliated institutions (such as Carnegie Mellon University) for the most current guidelines regarding usage permissions. While academic use is often granted freely, commercial or clinical applications may necessitate formal licensing or fee payment.

Test Year: 1983 (Initial publication of the comprehensive 40-item version).

Reference’s

Cohen, S., & Hoberman, H. (1983). Positive events and social supports as buffers of life change stress. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 13, 99-125. The original PDF can be downloaded here: Link to full-text (pdf)

Cohen, S., Mermelstein, R., Kamarck, T., & Hoberman, H. (1985). Measuring the functional components of social support. In I. G. Sarason & B. R. Sarason (Eds.), Social support: Theory, research, and application. The Hague, Holland: Martinus Nijhoff. The original PDF can be downloaded here: Link to full-text (pdf)

Further information regarding the scale is available at: http://www.psy.cmu.edu/selectscohen/ISEL.html

Items of the Interpersonal Support Evaluation List (ISEL) – General Population

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

This scale is made up of a list of statements each of which may or may not be true about you. For each statement check “definitely true” if you are sure it is true about you and “probably true” if you think it is true but are not absolutely certain. Similarly‚ you should check “definitely false” if you are sure the statement is false and “probably false” is you think it is false but are not absolutely certain.

1. There are several people that I trust to help solve my problems.
   ____definitely true (3) ____definitely false (0)
   ____probably true (2) ____probably false (1)
2. If I needed help fixing an appliance or repairing my car‚ there is someone who would help me.
   ____definitely true (3) ____definitely false (0)
   ____probably true (2) ____probably false (1)
3. Most of my friends are more interesting than I am.
   ____definitely true (3) ____definitely false (0)
   ____probably true (2) ____probably false (1)
4. There is someone who takes pride in my accomplishments.
   ____definitely true (3) ____definitely false (0)
   ____probably true (2) ____probably false (1)
5. When I feel lonely‚ there are several people I can talk to.
   ____definitely true (3) ____definitely false (0)
   ____probably true (2) ____probably false (1)
6. There is no one that I feel comfortable to talking about intimate personal problems.
   ____definitely true (3) ____definitely false (0)
   ____probably true (2) ____probably false (1)
7. I often meet or talk with family or friends.
   ____definitely true (3) ____definitely false (0)
   ____probably true (2) ____probably false (1)
8. Most people I know think highly of me.
   ____definitely true (3) ____definitely false (0)
   ____probably true (2) ____probably false (1)
9. If I needed a ride to the airport very early in the morning‚ I would have a hard time finding someone to take me.
   ____definitely true (3) ____definitely false (0)
   ____probably true (2) ____probably false (1)
10. I feel like I’m not always included by my circle of friends.
    ____definitely true (3) ____definitely false (0)
    ____probably true (2) ____probably false (1)
11. There really is no one who can give me an objective view of how I’m handling my problems.
    ____definitely true (3) ____definitely false (0)
    ____probably true (2) ____probably false (1)
12. There are several different people I enjoy spending time with.
    ____definitely true (3) ____definitely false (0)
    ____probably true (2) ____probably false (1)
13. I think that my friends feel that I’m not very good at helping them solve their problems.
    ____definitely true (3) ____definitely false (0)
    ____probably true (2) ____probably false (1)
14. If I were sick and needed someone (friend‚ family member‚ or acquaintance) to take me to the doctor‚ I would have trouble finding someone.
    ____definitely true (3) ____definitely false (0)
    ____probably true (2) ____probably false (1)
15. If I wanted to go on a trip for a day (e.g.‚ to the mountains‚ beach‚ or country)‚ I would have a hard time finding someone to go with me.
    ____definitely true (3) ____definitely false (0)
    ____probably true (2) ____probably false (1)
16. If I needed a place to stay for a week because of an emergency (for example‚ water or electricity out in my apartment or house)‚ I could easily find someone who would put me up.
    ____definitely true (3) ____definitely false (0)
    ____probably true (2) ____probably false (1)
17. I feel that there is no one I can share my most private worries and fears with.
    ____definitely true (3) ____definitely false (0)
    ____probably true (2) ____probably false (1)
18. If I were sick‚ I could easily find someone to help me with my daily chores.
    ____definitely true (3) ____definitely false (0)
    ____probably true (2) ____probably false (1)
19. There is someone I can turn to for advice about handling problems with my family.
    ____definitely true (3) ____definitely false (0)
    ____probably true (2) ____probably false (1)
20. I am as good at doing things as most other people are.
    ____definitely true (3) ____definitely false (0)
    ____probably true (2) ____probably false (1)
21. If I decide one afternoon that I would like to go to a movie that evening‚ I could easily find someone to go with me.
    ____definitely true (3) ____definitely false (0)
    ____probably true (2) ____probably false (1)
22. When I need suggestions on how to deal with a personal problem‚ I know someone I can turn to.
    ____definitely true (3) ____definitely false (0)
    ____probably true (2) ____probably false (1)
23. If I needed an emergency loan of $100‚ there is someone (friend‚ relative‚ or acquaintance) I could get it from.
    ____definitely true (3) ____definitely false (0)
    ____probably true (2) ____probably false (1)
24. In general‚ people do not have much confidence in me.
    ____definitely true (3) ____definitely false (0)
    ____probably true (2) ____probably false (1)
25. Most people I know do not enjoy the same things that I do.
    ____definitely true (3) ____definitely false (0)
    ____probably true (2) ____probably false (1)
26. There is someone I could turn to for advice about making career plans or changing my job.
    ____definitely true (3) ____definitely false (0)
    ____probably true (2) ____probably false (1)
27. I don’t often get invited to do things with others.
    ____definitely true (3) ____definitely false (0)
    ____probably true (2) ____probably false (1)
28. Most of my friends are more successful at making changes in their lives than I am.
    ____definitely true (3) ____definitely false (0)
    ____probably true (2) ____probably false (1)
29. If I had to go out of town for a few weeks‚ it would be difficult to find someone who would look after my house or apartment (the plants‚ pets‚ garden‚ etc.).
    ____definitely true (3) ____definitely false (0)
    ____probably true (2) ____probably false (1)
30. There really is no one I can trust to give me good financial advice.
    ____definitely true (3) ____definitely false (0)
    ____probably true (2) ____probably false (1)
31. If I wanted to have lunch with someone‚ I could easily find someone to join me.
    ____definitely true (3) ____definitely false (0)
    ____probably true (2) ____probably false (1)
32. I am more satisfied with my life than most people are with theirs.
    ____definitely true (3) ____definitely false (0)
    ____probably true (2) ____probably false (1)
33. If I was stranded 10 miles from home‚ there is someone I could call who would come and get me.
    ____definitely true (3) ____definitely false (0)
    ____probably true (2) ____probably false (1)
34. No one I know would throw a birthday party for me.
    ____definitely true (3) ____definitely false (0)
    ____probably true (2) ____probably false (1)
35. It would me difficult to find someone who would lend me their car for a few hours.
    ____definitely true (3) ____definitely false (0)
    ____probably true (2) ____probably false (1)
36. If a family crisis arose‚ it would be difficult to find someone who could give me good advice about how to handle it.
    ____definitely true (3) ____definitely false (0)
    ____probably true (2) ____probably false (1)
37. I am closer to my friends than most other people are to theirs.
    ____definitely true (3) ____definitely false (0)
    ____probably true (2) ____probably false (1)
38. There is at least one person I know whose advice I really trust.
    ____definitely true (3) ____definitely false (0)
    ____probably true (2) ____probably false (1)
39. If I needed some help in moving to a new house or apartment‚ I would have a hard time finding someone to help me.
    ____definitely true (3) ____definitely false (0)
    ____probably true (2) ____probably false (1)
40. I have a hard time keeping pace with my friends.
    ____definitely true (3) ____definitely false (0)
    ____probably true (2) ____probably false (1)