Reducing the Length of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support

The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) is a widely used 12-item measure that assesses perceived social support from three sources: friends, family, and significant others. Previously published psychometric properties indicate that a shorter version of this scale may adequately assess perceived social support and reduce participant burden. The current studies sought to develop such a reduced scale across two studies. Study 1 examined a sample of spouses of US military personnel (N = 5,436) randomly separated into exploratory and confirmatory samples. In the exploratory sample, we developed a 6-item reduced MSPSS using multidimensional item response theory. In the confirmatory sample, the reduced MSPSS fit the hypothesized structure and was highly correlated with the full MSPSS. Study 2 administered the full and reduced MSPSS separately within a sample of undergraduate students (N = 188). The reduced MSPSS had high correlations with the full measure (r = .90) and fit the hypothesized factor structure. Across both studies, correlations with related constructs were similar between the reduced and full MSPSS, demonstrating almost no loss of construct validity. Overall, the reduced MSPSS captured perceived social support with little loss of information. This reduced scale may be useful for minimizing survey length and participant burden.