Interpersonal Support Evaluation List – College Version (ISEL-College)
Measures the perceived availability of four distinct functional types of social support in a college student population.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Interpersonal Support Evaluation List – College Version (ISEL-College) was developed by Sheldon Cohen, Robin Mermelstein, Thomas Kamarck, Harry Hoberman (1985). It is designed to measure Perceived Social Support. The scale is intended for use with College students.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 48 items organized into 4 factors/subscales: Tangible Support, Belonging Support, Appraisal Support, Self-Esteem Support.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Tangible Support | 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12 | 12 |
| Belonging Support | 13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24 | 12 |
| Appraisal Support | 25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36 | 12 |
| Self-Esteem Support | 37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44,45,46,47,48 | 12 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Probably True, 0 = Probably False.
The scale includes 24 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 0 to 48. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Perceived Social Support: 0 – 16
- Moderate Perceived Social Support: 17 – 32
- High Perceived Social Support: 33 – 48
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Not specified in source text.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.