Social Support
Brian Lakey

Commonly Used Measures of Social Support and Social Integration

The Interpersonal Support Evaluation List—General Population (Cohen & Hoberman, 1983 xClose
Cohen, S., & Hoberman, H. M. (1983). Positive events and social supports as buffers of life change stress. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 13, 99-125.; Cohen, Mermelstein, Kamarck, & Hoberman, 1985 xClose
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 (pp. 73-94). The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff.).

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.

3. Most of my friends are more interesting than I am.

4. There is someone who takes pride in my accomplishments.

5. When I feel lonely, there are several people I can talk to.

6. There is no one that I feel comfortable to talking about intimate personal problems.

7. I often meet or talk with family or friends.

8. Most people I know think highly of me.

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.

10. I feel like I'm not always included by my circle of friends.

11. There really is no one who can give me an objective view of how I'm handling my problems.

12. There are several different people I enjoy spending time with.

13. I think that my friends feel that I'm not very good at helping them solve their problems.

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.

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.

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.

17. I feel that there is no one I can share my most private worries and fears with.

18. If I were sick, I could easily find someone to help me with my daily chores.

19. There is someone I can turn to for advice about handling problems with my family.

20. I am as good at doing things as most other people are.

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.

22. When I need suggestions on how to deal with a personal problem, I know someone I can turn to.

23. If I needed an emergency loan of $100, there is someone (friend, relative, or acquaintance) I could get it from.

24. In general, people do not have much confidence in me.

25. Most people I know do not enjoy the same things that I do.

26. There is someone I could turn to for advice about making career plans or changing my job.

27. I don't often get invited to do things with others.

28. Most of my friends are more successful at making changes in their lives than I am.

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.).

30. There really is no one I can trust to give me good financial advice.

31. If I wanted to have lunch with someone, I could easily find someone to join me.

32. I am more satisfied with my life than most people are with theirs.

33. If I was stranded 10 miles from home, there is someone I could call who would come and get me.

34. No one I know would throw a birthday party for me.

35. It would me difficult to find someone who would lend me their car for a few hours.

36. If a family crisis arose, it would be difficult to find someone who could give me good advice about how to handle it.

37. I am closer to my friends than most other people are to theirs.

38. There is at least one person I know whose advice I really trust.

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.

40. I have a hard time keeping pace with my friends.

The Social Provisions Scale (SPS; Cutrona & Russell, 1987 xClose
Cutrona, C. E., & Russell, D. W. (1987). The provisions of social relationships and adaptation to stress. Advances in Personal Relationships, 1, 37-67.). Investigators interested in using the SPS can request a copy from Daniel W. Russell at drussell@iastate.edu.

Inventory of Socially Supportive Behaviors (ISSB; Barrera, Sandler & Ramsey, 1981 xClose
Barrera, M., Sandler, I. N., & Ramsey, T. B. (1981). Preliminary development of a scale of social support: Studies on college students. American Journal of Community Psychology, 9, 435-447.).

Instructions

We are interested in learning about some of the ways that you feel people have helped you or tried to make life more pleasant for you over the past four weeks. Below you will find a list of activities that other people might have done for you, to you, or with you in recent weeks. Please read each item carefully and indicate how often these activities happened to you during the past four weeks.

Use the following scale to make your ratings:

1. Not at all
2. Once or twice
3. About once a week
4. Several times a week
5. About every day

Make all of your ratings on the answer sheet that has been provided. If, for example, the item:

45. Gave you a ride to the doctor.

happened once or twice during the past four weeks, you would make your rating like this:

	A	B	C	D	E
45.

Please read each item carefully and select the rating that you think is the most accurate.

During the past four weeks, how often did other people do these activities for you, to you, or with you:

1. Looked after a family member when you were away.

2. Was right there with you (physically) in a stressful situation.

3. Provided you with a place where you could get away for awhile.

4. Watched after your possessions when you were away (pets, plants, home, apartment, etc.).

5. Told you what she/he did in a situation that was similar to yours.

6. Did some activity together to help you get your mind off of things.

7. Talked with you about some interests of yours.

8. Let you know that you did something well.

9. Went with you to someone who could take action.

10. Told you that you are OK just the way you are.

11. Told you that she/he would keep the things that you talk about private-just between the two of you.

12. Assisted you in setting a goal for yourself.

13. Made it clear what was expected of you.

14. Expressed esteem or respect for a competency or personal quality of yours.

15. Gave you some information on how to do something.

16. Suggested some action that you should take.

17. Gave you over $25.

18. Comforted you by showing you some physical affection.

19. Gave you some information to help you understand a situation you were in.

20. Provided you with some transportation.

21. Checked back with you to see if you followed the advice you were given.

22. Gave you under $25.

23. Helped you understand why you didn't do something well.

24. Listened to you talk about your private feelings.

25. Loaned or gave you something (a physical object other than money) that you needed.

26. Agreed that what you wanted to do was right.

27. Said things that made your situation clearer and easier to understand.

28. Told you how he/she felt in a situation that was similar to yours.

29. Let you know that he/she will always be around if you need assistance.

30. Expressed interest and concern in your well-being.

31. Told you that she/he feels very close to you.

32. Told you who you should see for assistance.

33. Told you what to expect in a situation that was about to happen.

34. Loaned you over $25.

35. Taught you how to do something.

36. Gave you feedback on how you were doing without saying it was good or bad.

37. Joked and kidded to try to cheer you up.

38. Provided you with a place to stay.

39. Pitched in to help you do something that needed to be done.

40. Loaned you under $25.

Social Network Index (SNI; S. Cohen, 1991 xClose
Cohen, S. (1991). Social supports and physical health: Symptoms, health behaviors, and infectious diseases. In A. L. Greene, E. M., Cummings, & K. H. Karraker (Eds.), Life-span developmental psychology: Perspectives on stress and coping (pp. 213-234). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.; Cohen, Doyle, Skoner, Rabin, & Gwaltnery, 1997 xClose
Cohen, S., Doyle, W. J., Skoner, D. P., Rabin, B. S., & Gwaltnery, J. M. (1997). Social ties and suspectibility to the common cold. Journal of the American Medical Association, 277, 1940-1944.)

Instructions: This questionnaire is concerned with how many people you see or talk to on a regular basis including family, friends, workmates, neighbors, etc. Please read and answer each question carefully. Answer follow-up questions where appropriate.

1. Which of the following best describes your marital status?

____ (1) currently married & living together, or living with someone in marital like relationship

____ (2) never married & never lived with someone in a marital-like relationship

____ (3) separated

____ (4) divorced or formerly lived with someone in a marital-like relationship

____ (5) widowed

2. How many children do you have? (If you don't have any children, check '0' and skip to question 3.)

____0 ____1 ____2 ____3 ____4 ____5 ____6 ____7 or more

2a. How many of your children do you see or talk to on the phone at least once every 2 weeks?

____0 ____1 ____2 ____3 ____4 ____5 ____6 ____7 or more

3. Are either of your parents living? (If neither is living, check '0' and skip to question 4.)

____ (0) neither ____ (1) mother only ____ (2) father only ____ (3) both

3a. Do you see or talk on the phone to either of your parents at least once every 2 weeks?

____ (0) neither ____ (1) mother only ____ (2) father only ____ (3) both

4. Are either of your in-laws (or partner's parents) living? (If you have none, check the appropriate space and skip to question 5.)

____ (0) neither ____ (1) mother only ____ (2) father only ____ (3) both ____ (4) not applicable

4a. Do you see or talk on the phone to either of your partner's parents at least once every 2 weeks?

_____ (0) neither _____ (1) mother only _____ (2) father only ____ (3) both

5. How many other relatives (other than your spouse, parents & children) do you feel close to? (If '0', check that space and skip to question 6.)

____0 ____1 ____2 ____3 ____4 ____5 ____6 ____7 or more

5a. How many of these relatives do you see or talk to on the phone at least once every 2 weeks?

____0 ____1 ____2 ____3 ____4 ____5 ____6 ____7 or more

6. How many close friends do you have? (meaning people that you feel at ease with, can talk to about private matters, and can call on for help)

____0 ____1 ____2 ____3 ____4 ____5 ____6 ____7 or more

6a. How many of these friends do you see or talk to at least once every 2 weeks?

____0 ____1 ____2 ____3 ____4 ____5 ____6 ____7 or more

7. Do you belong to a church, temple, or other religious group? (If not, check 'no' and skip to question 8.)

_____ no _____ yes

7a. How many members of your church or religious group do you talk to at least once every 2 weeks? (This includes at group meetings and services.)

____0 ____1 ____2 ____3 ____4 ____5 ____6 ____7 or more

8. Do you attend any classes (school, university, technical training, or adult education) on a regular basis? (If not, check 'no' and skip to question 9.)

_____ no _____ yes

8a. How many fellow students or teachers do you talk to at least once every 2 weeks? (This includes at class meetings.)

____0 ____1 ____2 ____3 ____4 ____5 ____6 ____7 or more

9. Are you currently employed either full or part-time? (If not, check 'no' and skip to question 10.)

____ (0) no _____ (1) yes, self-employed _____ (2) yes, employed by others

9a. How many people do you supervise?

____0 ____1 ____2 ____3 ____4 ____5 ____6 ____7 or more

9b. How many people at work (other than those you supervise) do you talk to at least once every 2 weeks?

____0 ____1 ____2 ____3 ____4 ____5 ____6 ____7 or more

10. How many of your neighbors do you visit or talk to at least once every 2 weeks?

_____0 ____1 ____2____3 ____4 ____5 ____6 ____7 or more

11. Are you currently involved in regular volunteer work? (If not, check 'no' and skip to question 12.)

_____ no _____ yes

11a. How many people involved in this volunteer work do you talk to about volunteering-related issues at least once every 2 weeks?

____0 ____1 ____2____3 ____4 ____5 ____6 ____7 or more

12. Do you belong to any groups in which you talk to one or more members of the group about group-related issues at least once every 2 weeks? Examples include social clubs, recreational groups, trade unions, commercial groups, professional organizations, groups concerned with children like the PTA or Boy Scouts, groups concerned with community service, etc. (If you don't belong to any such groups, check 'no' and skip the section below.)

_____ no _____ yes

Consider those groups in which you talk to a fellow group member at least once every 2 weeks. Please provide the following information for each such group: the name or type of group and the total number of members in that group that you talk to at least once every 2 weeks.

Group that you talk to at least once every 2 weeks (Total number of group members)

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