THE MULTIDIMENSIONAL SCALE OF PERCEIVED SOCIAL SUPPORT:

A CONFIRMATION STUDY
NANCY W. DMILEM
University of Colorado Health Sciences Center

GREGORY D. ZIMET
Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine

ROBIN R. WALKER
MetroHealth Medical Center

This study examined the psychometric properties of the Multidimensional

Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS; Zimet, Dahlem, Zimet, & Farley,
1988) with a diverse group of 154 students at an urban college. The follow-
ing areas were investigated: internal reliability, factorial validity, social
desirability bias, and the moderating effect of social support between stressful
life events and depression (i.e., the buffering hypothesis). The MSPSS had
good internal reliability, and the factor analysis confirmed the subscale struc-
ture of the measure: family, friends, and significant other. There was no
indication that social desirability bias influenced subjects’ responses. Finally,
social support was related to depression only for those subjects who were
experiencing high levels of life stress, which lends support for the buffering
hypothesis.

Escalating health-care costs, alarming rates of family malfunction and disintegra-

tion, and rising suicide rates have led many investigators to focus attention on the im-
pact of life stress and social support upon physical and mental well-being. (See Cohen,
1988, for a review of the literature.) Yet, much clarification is needed to achieve a
reasonable understanding of these relationships. It is imperative to explore how they
work and how they can be measured with a short, cost-/time-effective battery (Bloom,
1990).
In 1988, Zimet, Dahlem, Zimet, and Farley developed the 12-item Multidimensional
Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). This easy-to-use, self-explanatory, time-
effective scale distinguishes perceived social support from three sources: family, friends,
and a significant other.
Two studies that employed the current MSPSS (Zimet et al., 1988; Zimet, Powell,
Farley, Werkman, & Berkoff, 1990) and two that used an earlier version (Blumenthal
et al., 1987; Corkey & Zimet, 1987) all suggested that the scale is psychometrically sound.
Scores on the MSPSS were related to depressive symptomatology in university students,
and strong test-retest reliability, internal reliability, and factorial validity were
demonstrated (Zimet ct al., 1988).
A more recent psychometric study that employed diverse subject samples also sug-
gested that the MSPSS has strong factorial validity and good internal reliability (Zimet
et al., 1990). In addition, the construct validities of the Significant Other and Family
subscales were demonstrated.
An early version of the MSPSS was used in a study of patients who were undergo-
ing diagnostic coronary angiography (Blumenthal et al., 1987). For patients identified
as Type A (i.e., individuals who are very driven), social support was inversely related

All correspondence should be addressed to Gregory D. Zimet, Ph.D., Room 373, Rainbow Babies &
Childrens Hospital, 2101 Adelbert Rd., Cleveland, OH 44106.
756
 Confirmation Study 757

to the degree of coronary artery disease. No such relationship was identified for Type
B patients (i.e., individuals who maintain a more relaxed life style). This finding sup-
ports the proposal that social support acts principally as a buffer that moderates be-
tween stressful life events and symptoms of distress (Cohen & McKay, 1984; Flannery
& Wieman, 1989; Gore, 1981; House, 1981).
Another project that employed an early version of the MSPSS involved a study
of young adults who, as children, were treated in a day psychiatric hospital (Corkey
& Zimet, 1987). In this study, an interview-based rating scale that measures quality of
relationships with friends was highly correlated with the Friends subscale of the MSPSS
(r = .71, p < .001), which thus provides evidence for the construct validity of the Friends
subscale.
The present study is an effort toward further validation of the MSPSS. It investigates
correlations between and among designated subscales of the MSPSS and correlates
MSPSS scores with a measure of response bias. In consideration of Blumenthal et al.’s
(1987) findings, it also investigates whether the buffering hypothesis is a viable explana-
tion for relationships demonstrated earlier between stress and depression (Zimet et al.,
1988).

METHOD
Subjects
All subjects were enrolled in either a 2- or a 4-year college program at schools that
shared a large urban campus. These schools enroll students from diverse ethnic and
socioeconomic backgrounds. Of the 170 students administered questionnaire packets,
154 (90.6%) returned completed, usable surveys. The 122 women and 32 men who con-
tributed data ranged in age from 18 to 51 years (M = 26.5, SD = 7.4).
Instruments and Administration
The MSPSS (Zimet et al., 1988), the focus of the present study, is the 12-item self-
report inventory referred to earlier. It measures perceived social support from family,
friends, and a significant other. Respondents use a 7-point Likert-type scale (very strongly
disagree to very strongly agree) with each item. MSPSS items are presented in Table 1.
Table 1
MSPSS Items

1. There is a special person who is around when I am in need.

2. There is a special person with whom I can share my joys and sorrows.
3. My family really tries to help me.
4. I get the emotional help and support I need from my family.
5. I have a special person who is a real source of comfort to me.
6 . My friends really try to help me.
7. I can count on my friends when things go wrong.
8. I can talk about my problems with my family.
9. 1 have friends with whom I can share my joys and sorrows.
10. There is a special person in my life who cares about my feelings.
11. My family is willing to help me make decisions.
12. I can talk about my problems with my friends.

The 21-item self-report Beck Depression Inventory (BDI; Beck, Rush, Shaw, &
Emory, 1979) is composed of items that reflect symptoms and attitudes associated with
758 Journal of Clinical Psychology, November 1991, Vol. 47, No. 6

depression. Respondents use a 4-point Likert-type scale to indicate the intensity with
which they experience a given symptom or attitude. A literature review indicates that
the BDI is a reliable and valid instrument (Beck, Steer, & Garbin, 1988).
The Life Experiences Survey (LES; Sarason, Johnson, & Siegel, 1978) is a 60-item,
self-report inventory that lists a series of frequently occurring life events. Respondents
indicate which events they have experienced over the previous year. They also indicate,
on a 7-point scale (extremely negative to extremely positive), the emotionality associated
with a given event. In accordance with Sarason et al. (1978), ratings of negatively rated
events were summed to yield a negative events score, used in the present study to measure
life stress. The reliability and validity of the LES negative events score have been
demonstrated (Sarason et al., 1978).
A version of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale (Crowne & Marlowe,
1960) measured the extent to which subjects’ MSPSS responses reflect socially desirable
behavior. The short form of the Marlowe-Crowne used in the present study is a 10-item
self-report inventory (Strahan & Gerbasi, 1972). Subjects respond “true” or “false” to
a series of statements that describe common behaviors often seen as socially undesirable
(e.g., “I like to gossip at times”). Correlations between this short form and the com-
plete Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale are reported to be r = .85 and above
(Reynolds, 1982; Strahan & Gerbasi, 1972).

RESULTS
Descriptive Statistics
The means and standard deviations of the MSPSS scales, the BDI, the negative
events score of the LES, and the Marlowe-Crowne short form are presented in Table
2. The levels of social support reported by the subjects in the present study are com-
parable to the levels reported in previous research (Zimet et al., 1988; Zimet et al., 1990).
With respect to MSPSS subscale intercorrelations, the Friends subscale was cor-
related significantly with both the Significant Other subscale (r = 3 8 , p < .001) and
the Family subscale (r = .35, p < .001). The Significant Other and Family subscales
also were correlated ( r = .a, p < .001). Comparisons of correlations indicated that the
Significant Other-Family correlation was significantly smaller than the Friends-Significant
Other correlation, t(151) = 2 . 4 6 , ~< .02. The Friends-Family correlation also was sig-
nificantly smaller than the Friends-Significant Other correlation, t(151) = 3.21, p < .01.
A similar pattern of relationships was reported earlier (Zimet et al., 1988).
Table 2
Means and Standard Deviations of Key Variables

Variable M SD
MSPSS-Total 5.58 1.07
MSPSS-Family 5.31 1.46
MSPSS-Friends 5.50 1.25
MSPSS-Significant Other 5.94 1.34
BDI 7.55 6.15
LES-Negative Events 11.63 10.22
Marlowe-Crowne 3.62 2.03

Factorial Validity and Reliability

A principal components analysis identified three factors that, together, accounted
for 83.9% of the variance. The Varimax rotation factor matrix is presented in Table 3.
 Confirmation Study 159

Items loaded very strongly on their designated subscales (Family, Friends, or Signifi-
cant Other), with minimal cross-loading.
Internal reliability of the MSPSS was measured using Cronbach’s coefficient alpha.
The coefficient alpha for the total scale was .91; for the Family, Friends, and Signifi-
cant Other subscales, the values were .90, .94, and .95, respectively. These coefficient
alpha values indicate excellent internal reliability and are consistent with results from
previous studies that used a variety of subject samples: university undergraduates,
pediatric residents, pregnant women, and adolescents living abroad.

Table 3
Fuctor Analysis Matrix with Vurimax Rotation

Factors
~ ~

MSPSS items Friends Significant Other Family

6 .91 .22 .I2

7 .90 .21 .I9
9 .84 .32 .I8
12 .84 .28 .I0
1 .38 .84 .18
2 .33 .86 .I8
5 .34 .87 .I5
10 .lI .90 .18
3 .ll .17 .88
4 .13 .I8 .89
8 .14 .I4 .84
I1 .13 .12 .80

Social Desirability
An issue raised in previous MSPSS research concerned the relatively high levels
of support reported by subjects; the MSPSS subscale means consistently fell above the
theoretical midpoint of 3.5. It was questioned whether these results reflected actual high
levels of perceived support or a tendency for the MSPSS to elicit socially desirable
responses. Scores on the short version of the Marlowe-Crowne Social Desirability Scale
used in the present study mitigate against the idea of a social desirability bias (Total
MSPSS-MC, r = - .01, p = ns; Family MSPSS-MC, r = .02, p = ns; Friends MSPSS-
MC r = - .01, p = ns; Significant Other MSPSS-MC, r = .03, p = ns.
Buflering Hypothesis
To test the buffering hypothesis, subjects were assigned to either a high life-stress
or a low life-stress group. Subjects with negative events LES scores below the median
score of 8.5 became low stress subjects (n = 77); those who scored above 8.5 became
high stress subjects (n = 77). Correlations between total social support scores and BDI
scores were calculated for each life-stress group, and they were compared with one
another. For high-stress subjects, social support and depression were correlated
significantly ( r = - .345, p < .002). For low-stress subjects, the social support-depression
correlation was not significant (r = .016, p = ns). Moreover, comparisons of correla-
tions from the two groups indicated that the high life-stress group correlation was
significantly stronger than the low life-stress group correlation, z = 2.19, p < .05.
160 Journal of Clinical Psychology, November 1991, Vol. 47, No. 6

DISCUSSION

Evidence for validity and reliability of the MSPSS as a measure of perceived social
support comes from several sources. First, the principal components factor analysis
confirms that individuals make distinctions on the basis of the source of support: family,
friends, and significant others. This finding supports the results of previous studies of
the MSPSS (Zimet et al., 1987; Zimet et al., 1990), as well as Procidano and Heller’s
(1983) earlier demonstration that family and friends can be independent sources of social
support.
Second, the MSPSS subscale intercorrelations indicate that the Friends and Sig-
nificant Other scales are most highly correlated with one another and that the Family
scale functions in a somewhat more independent manner. This same basic pattern,
reported in the original validation study (Zimet et al., 1988), suggests that perceived
support from the family is experienced differently from support provided by a friend
or a significant other. One explanation may be that perceived family support is more
stable over time, while support from friends and significant others is more variable over
time and more dependent ‘on one another. This issue bears further investigation.
Third, the present data replicate earlier findings of high levels of reported social
support. However, the nonsignificant correlations between both total MSPSS and MSPSS
subscale scores and Marlowe-Crowne scores mitigate against an explanation that high
MSPSS scores are a result only of social desirability bias. Apparently factor@) other
than social desirability account for high reported levels of social support, even in a diverse
group of subjects like those used in this study.
Fourth, the present internal reliability investigation, which used Cronbach’s alpha,
supports earlier evaluations of MSPSS reliability (Zimet et al., 1988; Zimet et al., 1990).
The coefficients of .90 and above suggest that even when diverse subject samples are
involved, the MSPSS yields reliable data, at least from an internal consistency viewpoint.
Finally, that a significant correlation between MSPSS and BDI scores was established
for subjects who reported high, but not low, negative life events lends support to the
buffering hypothesis (Cohen & McKay, 1984; Flannery & Wieman, 1989; Gore, 1981;
House, 1981). However, these correlational data provide no clue with regard to causality
of the negative relationship between perceived social support and depression. They also
provide no suggestion with respect to the mechanism by which social support achieves
its beneficial effect. The data simply point to the importance of a substrate of relatively
high stress if a positive effect of support is to be evidenced.

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