Scale library · Psychology & mental health
Perceived social support (MSPSS): Zimet et al. (1988)
The MSPSS was developed by Zimet, Dahlem, Zimet and Farley (1988) to measure the social support a person perceives from three sources: family, friends and a significant other. It has 12 items, 4 per source, and is short and easy to understand, so it has been translated into many languages. It is common in theses on the mental health of students, people with chronic illness and older adults, usually as an independent variable or as a moderator between stress and depression, anxiety or life satisfaction.
Cite the original, not the blog.
- Model or scale: MSPSS
- Constructs: 3
- Items: 12
Original English items
Items marked (R) are reverse-coded: recode them before computing reliability or scale scores. Replace bracketed placeholders such as [system] with the name of the system, brand or organization you study.
Significant Other (SO, 4 items)
| Code | Item wording | Reverse-coded |
|---|---|---|
| SO1 | There is a special person who is around when I am in need. | No |
| SO2 | There is a special person with whom I can share joys and sorrows. | No |
| SO5 | I have a special person who is a real source of comfort to me. | No |
| SO10 | There is a special person in my life who cares about my feelings. | No |
Family (FAM, 4 items)
| Code | Item wording | Reverse-coded |
|---|---|---|
| FAM3 | My family really tries to help me. | No |
| FAM4 | I get the emotional help & support I need from my family. | No |
| FAM8 | I can talk about my problems with my family. | No |
| FAM11 | My family is willing to help me make decisions. | No |
Friends (FRI, 4 items)
| Code | Item wording | Reverse-coded |
|---|---|---|
| FRI6 | My friends really try to help me. | No |
| FRI7 | I can count on my friends when things go wrong. | No |
| FRI9 | I have friends with whom I can share my joys and sorrows. | No |
| FRI12 | I can talk about my problems with my friends. | No |
Response scale
7-point agreement scale: 1 = Very strongly disagree, 2 = Strongly disagree, 3 = Mildly disagree, 4 = Neutral, 5 = Mildly agree, 6 = Strongly agree, 7 = Very strongly agree. Each subscale score is the mean of its 4 items and the overall score the mean of all 12, from 1 to 7. There are no reverse-coded items.
Licence and permission
According to Gregory Zimet's MSPSS page, the scale is free to use with citation of the 1988 original article; the page also provides a ready-made permission letter for research if your institution requires one.
Sources (APA 7)
- Zimet, G. D., Dahlem, N. W., Zimet, S. G., & Farley, G. K. (1988). The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Journal of Personality Assessment, 52(1), 30–41. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327752jpa5201_2
- Kieu, P. T., Vuong, N. L., & Dung, D. V. (2023). Validation of Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) in Vietnamese among people living with HIV/AIDS. AIDS and Behavior, 27(8), 2488–2496. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10461-022-03974-1
Vietnamese translation
A Vietnamese translation of every item, with sample-size advice and studies that used the scale, is on the Vietnamese page for this scale.