Scale Overview
The Interpersonal Support Evaluation List – General Population (ISEL) was developed by Sheldon Cohen, Harry Hoberman, Robin Mermelstein, Thomas Kamarck (1983). It is designed to measure Perceived Social Support. The scale is intended for use with General population.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 40 items organized into 4 factors/subscales: Appraisal, Tangible, Self-Esteem, Belonging.
| Factor / Subscale |
Items |
N |
| Appraisal |
1,6,11,17,19,22,26,30,36,38 |
10 |
| Tangible |
2,9,14,16,18,23,29,33,35,39 |
10 |
| Self-Esteem |
3,4,8,13,20,24,28,32,37,40 |
10 |
| Belonging |
5,7,10,12,15,21,25,27,31,34 |
10 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 0 = Definitely false, 1 = Probably false, 2 = Probably true, 3 = Definitely true.
The scale includes 20 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 120. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low perceived social support: 0 – 40
- Moderate perceived social support: 41 – 80
- High perceived social support: 81 – 120
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of High internal consistency (typically Cronbach's alpha ranges from 0.77 to 0.86 for subscales, and 0.87 to 0.90 for the overall scale).
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.