Social support concepts and measures

Abstract

Distinctions among concepts and approaches to assessing social support are made, and published generic and specialized measures of social support are reviewed. Depending on study aims, investigators may be interested in assessing perceived or received support from the perspective of the provider, the recipient, or both. Whereas some measures inquire about the availability or mobilization of several kinds of supportive resources, others seek supplemental information about the membership and structural properties of the social network as well. Observational and self-reported measures of support are presented, along with brief and extensive measures. A final set of three support measures is highlighted, including their psychometric properties.