The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) is a self-report questionnaire designed to measure an individual’s perceptions of social support adequacy from three sources: family, friends, and a significant other. It contains 12 items rated on a 7-point Likert scale from ‘very strongly disagree’ to ‘very strongly agree’. The MSPSS has three subscales, with 4 items each assessing perceived support from family (e.g. “My family really tries to help me”), friends (e.g. “I can count on my friends when things go wrong”) and a significant other (e.g. “There is a special person in my life who cares about my feelings”). Mean scores on the subscales and total scale are calculated by summing items and dividing by 4 or 12 respectively. Higher scores indicate greater perceived social support. The MSPSS has demonstrated good reliability and validity across various cultures and populations.
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