Psychometric properties and factor structure of the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey Instrument in a sample of Spanish older adults

Cristina G Dumitrache; Laura Rubio; José Luis Cabezas Casado; Eulogio Cordón-Pozo

doi:10.1007/s10433-021-00612-y

Psychometric properties and factor structure of the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey Instrument in a sample of Spanish older adults

Eur J Ageing. 2021 Mar 26;19(1):143-154. doi: 10.1007/s10433-021-00612-y. eCollection 2022 Mar.

Authors

Cristina G Dumitrache¹, Laura Rubio¹, José Luis Cabezas Casado¹, Eulogio Cordón-Pozo²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Developmental and Educational Psychology, University of Granada, Campus de Cartuja S/N, 18071 Granada, Spain.
² Department of Business and Management, University of Granada, Campus de Cartuja S/N, 18071 Granada, Spain.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to explore the factor structure of the MOS-SSS in a sample of community-dwelling Spanish older adults. The sample comprised 406 community-dwelling older adults aged between 65 to 99 years old (M _age = 74.88, SD = 6.75). Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was performed, and four possible models were compared: the one-factor, the three-factor, the four-factor and the five-factor model, using an additional analysis with a second-order factor. The internal consistency reliability and convergent validity of the scale were also assessed. For the 19-item MOS-SSS scale, the five-factor model had the best fit to the data. All five subscales of the MOS-SSS showed adequate internal consistency, good convergent and discriminant validity. These findings contribute to the literature on the factor structure of the MOS-SSS in Spanish older adults. The MOS-SSS is a reliable and valid scale that can be used to assess Spanish older adults' social support perception for social services, health and in research contexts.

Keywords: Confirmatory factor analysis; Factor structure; Older adults; Social support.