Multidimensional scale of perceived social support: evidence of validity and reliability in a Chilean adaptation for older adults

Abstract

Background Given the relevance of social support on the mental health of older adults, having an instrument to evaluate this variable is essential for research in the area. However, mainly, having instruments with suitable evidence of their psychometric properties is critical. For this reason, this study sought to evaluate the factorial and reliability structure of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support within autonomous older adults from the Province of Concepción, Chile. Methods We surveyed 399 older adults using quote sampling. They answered a Spanish version of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, plus a sociodemographic questionnaire. We performed confirmatory factor analysis using Weighted Least Squares Means and Variances adjusted estimation (WLSMV) to compare the factor models proposes by previous studies. To evaluate reliability, we calculated Cronbach’s alpha and McDonald’s omega. Results The Confirmatory factor analysis found that the 3-factors models showed the best fist index between the models with CFI = 0.991, TLI = 0.989, and SRMR = 0.035, even though RMSEA were over the cutoff point. The factors presented reliabilities from α = 0.858 to α = 0.941, and from ω = 0.937 to ω = 0.972. Conclusions The results support the existence of three factors for the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), differentiating the support perceived from Family, Friends, and significant others. All factors present good or excellent reliability. This solution is theoretically consistent and coherent with the literature, and it presents evidence in favor of the use of MSPSS as a measurement to distinguish the support perceived source.

Psychometric properties of the German version of the multidimensional perceived social support scale

“…Only the other fit indices indicated an acceptable fit, thereby displaying some inconsistency in the results. Interestingly, the results of Pérez‐Villalobos et al (2021) showed the same inconsistency in the fit indices.…”

“…According to Pérez‐Villalobos et al (2021) who investigated the factorial structure of the MSPSS in home‐dwelling older persons in Chile, previous studies focusing on this target group showed contradictory results, as some of them revealed a two‐factorial structure (Arechabala & Miranda, 2018; Stanley et al, 1998), while others confirmed three factors (Ortiz & Baeza, 2011; Pinto et al, 2014), which was in line with the results of their own study.…”

Online health information searching and health literacy among middle‐aged and older adults: A cross‐sectional study

“…For people to use health information appropriately, social support (SS) is crucial. SS refers to the type of help provided to those who need support (Hupcey, 1998), including emotional, instrumental, informational, and evaluative support (Dambi et al, 2018; Pérez‐Villalobos et al, 2021). Among middle‐aged and older adults, SS such as technical support and encouragement from family members and others can promote information and communication technology (ICT) use (Fang et al, 2018).…”

Evidências de validade da Escala Multidimensional de Suporte Social Percebido (EMSSP) em universitários

“…Contudo, a grande maioria dos estudos utilizou-se de análises exploratórias, enquanto apenas nove, dentre 70, realizaram análise fatorial confirmatória 9 . As propriedades psicométricas da escala foram estudadas em distintas populações incluindo: adolescentes 12,13 , adultos com doenças crônicas 14,15 , doentes psiquiátricos 16 , pacientes com câncer 17 , idosos 18 e cuidadores de familiares com demência 19 .…”