Overview

Purpose
To assess social support
Respondent
Person with a Disability
Administration Method
Interview
Administration Mode
Phone
Item Count
19
Populations
  • Mental Health Challenges
  • Age Related Disability

Instrument Citation(s)

Sherbourne, C.D., & Stewart, A.L. (1991). The MOS social support survey. Social science and medicine,
32(6), 705-714.

Sherbourne, Cathy D. and Anita Stewart. The MOS Social Support Survey. Santa Monica, CA: RAND
Corporation, 1993. https://www.rand.org/pubs/reprints/RP218.html

Instrument Domains

DomainNumber of Items
Community Inclusion12
Social connectedness and relationships12
Employment0
Meaningful activity0
Resources and settings to facilitate inclusion0
Transportation0
Human and Legal Rights1
Informed decision-making1
Freedom from abuse and neglect0
Optimizing the preservation of legal and human rights0
Privacy0
Supporting individuals in exercising their human and legal rights0
Service Delivery and Effectiveness19
Delivery19
Person's needs met and goals realized0
Caregiver Support0
Access to resources0
Family caregiver/natural support involvement0
Family caregiver/natural support wellbeing0
Training and skill-building0
Choice and Control0
Choice of services and supports0
Personal choices and goals0
Personal freedoms and dignity of risk0
Self-direction0
Consumer Leadership in System Development0
Evidence of meaningful caregiver involvement0
Evidence of meaningful consumer involvement0
System supports meaningful consumer involvement0
Equity0
Availability0
Equitable access and resource allocation0
Transparency and consistency0
Fluctuation of Need0
Holistic Health and Functioning0
Health promotion and prevention0
Individual health and functioning0
Level of Caregiver Well-Being0
Person-Centered Planning and Coordination0
Assessment0
Coordination0
Person-centered planning0
System Performance and Accountability0
Data management and use0
Evidence-based practice0
Financing and service delivery structures0
Workforce0
Adequately compensated with benefits0
Culturally competent0
Demonstrated competencies when appropriate0
Person-centered approach to services0
Safety of and respect for the worker0
Staff Turnover0
Sufficient workforce numbers dispersion and availability0
Workforce engagement and participation0

Psychometric Citation

  • Sherbourne, C.D., & Stewart, A.L. (1991). The MOS social support survey. Social science and medicine,
    32(6), 705-714.

    Type of Publication
    Peer review
    Instrument Language
    English
    Sample: Age (Mean and Range)

    Mean age=55, range from 18-98

    Sample: Age Group

    18-64 Years, 65+ Years

    Sample: Countries/State

    United States

    Sample: Disability Type

    Other

    Sample: Gender (%male)

    39% male

    Sample: Race/Ethnicity (%)

    20% nonwhite

    Sample: Sampling Strategy

    Stratified Random Sample

    Sample: Size

    2987

    Reliability: Internal Consistency

    Cronbach's alpha for overall support (α=0.97); emotional/info support (α=0.96); tangible support (α=0.92); positive interaction (α=0.94); affection (α=0.91);

    Reliability: Test-retest

    One year stability coefficient for overall support (r=0.78), emotional/info support (r=0.72); tangible support (r=0.74); positive interaction (r=0.72); affection (r=0.76);

    Validity: Construct (Convergent and Discriminant)

    Confirmatory factor analysis showed factors loadings above .76 for all subscales.

    Validity: Criterion Validity (Concurrent and Predictive)

    The social support measures correlate highly with the measure of loneliness (r=-.67) and mental health (r=0.45)

    Study design
    Longitudinal