Berlin Social Support Scales (BSSS)
A multidimensional instrument designed to measure cognitive and behavioral aspects of social support, including perceived, received, and provided support, need for support, support seeking, and protective buffering.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The Berlin Social Support Scales (BSSS) was developed by Ralf Schwarzer & Ute Schulz (2000). It is designed to measure Social Support. The scale is intended for use with Adults, clinical populations, and partners.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 52 items organized into 8 factors/subscales: Perceived Emotional Support, Perceived Instrumental Support, Need for Support, Support Seeking, Actually Received Support, Satisfaction with Support Receipt, Actually Provided Support, Protective Buffering.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Perceived Emotional Support | 1,2,3,4 | 4 |
| Perceived Instrumental Support | 5,6,7,8 | 4 |
| Need for Support | 9,10,11,12 | 4 |
| Support Seeking | 13,14,15,16,17 | 5 |
| Actually Received Support | 18,19,20,21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31 | 14 |
| Satisfaction with Support Receipt | 32 | 1 |
| Actually Provided Support | 33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,41,42,43,44,45,46 | 14 |
| Protective Buffering | 47,48,49,50,51,52 | 6 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a 4-point Likert scale (1 = Strongly Disagree to 4 = Strongly Agree).
The scale includes 7 reverse-scored items to reduce acquiescence bias.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Perceived Social Support: alpha = .83; Received Social Support: alpha = .83; Need for Support: alpha = .63; Support Seeking: alpha = .81; Protective Buffering: alpha = .82; Provided Social Support: alpha = .75.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 15 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.