The Swedish version of the multidimensional scale of perceived social support (MSPSS) - a psychometric evaluation study in women with hirsutism and nursing students

Abstract

BackgroundThe Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) is a short instrument, developed to assess perceived social support. The original English version has been widely used. The original scale has demonstrated satisfactory psychometric properties in different settings, but no validated Swedish version has been available. The aim was therefore to translate, adapt and psychometrically evaluate the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support for use in a Swedish context.MethodIn total 281 participants accepted to join the study, a main sample of 127 women with hirsutism and a reference sample of 154 nursing students. The MSPSS was translated and culturally adapted according to the rigorous official process approved by WHO. The psychometric evaluation included item analysis, evaluation of factor structure, known-group validity, internal consistency and reproducibility.ResultsThe original three-factor structure was reproduced in the main sample of women with hirsutism. An equivalent factor structure was demonstrated in a cross-validation, based on the reference sample of nursing students. Known-group validity was supported and internal consistency was good for all scales (α = 0.91-0.95). The test-retest showed acceptable to very good reproducibility for the items (κw = 0.58-0.85) and the scales (ICC = 0.89-0.92; CCC = 0.89-0.92).ConclusionThe Swedish version of the MSPSS is a multidimensional scale with sound psychometric properties in the present study sample. The simple and short format makes it a useful tool for measuring perceived social support.

Suitability of the multidimensional scale of perceived social support as a measure of functional social support among incarcerated adults with major depressive disorder

“…Further evidence of convergent and discriminant validity was observed through the MSPSS's significant negative association with a measure of loneliness (UCLA LS) and non‐association with verbal ability (EVT‐2). Findings in this study are similar to those reported by Ekbäck et al (2013), which also supported the three‐factor structure.…”

“…The MSPSS is preferred for use in many contexts because it is brief, and provides measures of support from significant others (SO), family (FAM), and friends (FRI). Studies in non‐incarcerated populations suggest that the MSPSS has good convergent and discriminant validity and internal consistency reliability in many populations (Canty‐Mitchell & Zimet, 2000; Ekbäck, Benzein, Lindberg, & Årestedt, 2013; Zimet et al, 1988; Zimet et al, 1990). There is also empirical support for the original three‐factor structure of the MSPSS (i.e., one factor for SO, FAM, and FRI) in most populations, including university students (Dahlem et al, 1991; Zimet et al, 1988), urban African American adolescents (Canty‐Mitchell & Zimet, 2000), South African youth (Bruwer et al, 2008), and patients affected by psychiatric disorders (Cecil, Stanley, Carrion, & Swann, 1995; Vaingankar et al, 2012).…”

“…There is also empirical support for the original three‐factor structure of the MSPSS (i.e., one factor for SO, FAM, and FRI) in most populations, including university students (Dahlem et al, 1991; Zimet et al, 1988), urban African American adolescents (Canty‐Mitchell & Zimet, 2000), South African youth (Bruwer et al, 2008), and patients affected by psychiatric disorders (Cecil, Stanley, Carrion, & Swann, 1995; Vaingankar et al, 2012). In most settings moderate to large inter‐factor correlations have been reported for the MSPSS with correlations as high as 0.56 between the SO and FAM subscales, 0.87 between the SO and FRI subscale, and 0.83 between the FAM and FRIs subscales (Canty‐Mitchell & Zimet, 2000; Ekbäck et al, 2013).…”

Social support and quality of life in a group of cancer patients (Ankara, Turkey)*

“…The MSPSS is a short instrument (12 items), developed to assess perceived social support (7). The validity and reliability of the Turkish version were established by Eker et al (9).…”

Brief adult respiratory system health status scale-community version (BARSHSS-CV): developing and evaluating the reliability and validity

“…The sample size in the study should be 10–15 subjects per item for factor analysis of scale [23]. The sample size of our research was enough for factor analysis of BARSHSS-CV.…”