Barbara R. Sarason

A measure of social support, the Social Support Questionnaire (SSQ), is described and four empirical studies employing it are described. The SSQ yields scores for (a) number of social supports, and (b) satisfaction with social support that is available. Three of the studies deal with the SSQ's psychometric properties, its correations with measures of personality and adjustment, and the relationship of the SSQ to positive and negative life changes. The fourth study was an experimental investigation of the relationship between social support and persistence in working on a complex, frustrating task. The research reported suggests that the SSQ is a reliable instrument, and that social support is (1) more strongly related to positive than negative life changes, (2) more related in a negative direction to psychological discomfort among women than men, and (3) an asset in enabling a person to persist at a task under frustrating conditions. Research and clinical implications are discussed. (Author)

DEFINING AND ASSESSING SOCIAL SUPPORT: Traditional Views of Social Support and Their Impact on Assessment Social Support in Young Children: Measurement, Structure and Bahavioral Impact SOCIAL SUPPORT IN THE CONTEXT OF PERSONAL RELATIONSHIPS Social Support: The Sense of Acceptance and the Role of Relationships From Self to Health: Self-Verification and Identity Disruption Social Relationships as a Source of Companionship: Implications for Older Adults' Psychological Well-Being SOCIAL SUPPORT AND STRESS COPING: Social Support, Stress and the Immune System Differentiating the Cognitive and Behavioral Aspects of Social Support SOCIAL SUPPORT APPLICATIONS AND INTERVENTIONS IN CLINICAL AND COMMUNITY SETTINGS: The Role of Coping in Support Provision: The Self- Presentational Dilemma of Victims of Life Crises Social Support During Extreme Stress: Consequences and Intervention.

Two studies leading to the development of a short form of the Social Support Questionnaire (SSQ) are reported. In Study 1 three items selected for high correlations with the total score (SSQ3) were administered to 182 university students together with several personality measures. SSQ3 had acceptable test-retest reliability and correlations with personality variables similar to those of the SSQ. Internal reliability was marginal although acceptable for an instrument with so few items. Study 2 employed three sets of data in developing a six-item instrument (SSQ6). The SSQ6 had high internal reliability and correlated highly with the SSQ and similarly to it with personality variables. The research findings accompanying the development of the short form social support measure suggest that perceived social support in adults may be a reflection of early attachment experience.