NIH Toolbox Adult Social Relationship Scales
Measures key health-related dimensions of social relationships, including support, companionship, and relationship distress.
Scale Development & Technical Details
Scale Overview
The NIH Toolbox Adult Social Relationship Scales was developed by Cyranowski et al. (2013). It is designed to measure Social Relationships. The scale is intended for use with Adults.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 45 items organized into 6 factors/subscales: Emotional Support, Instrumental Support, Friendship, Loneliness, Perceived Rejection, Perceived Hostility.
| Factor / Subscale | Items | N |
|---|---|---|
| Emotional Support | 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8 | 8 |
| Instrumental Support | 9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16 | 8 |
| Friendship | 17,18,19,20,21,22,23,24 | 8 |
| Loneliness | 25,26,27,28,29 | 5 |
| Perceived Rejection | 30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37 | 8 |
| Perceived Hostility | 38,39,40,41,42,43,44,45 | 8 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Never, 2 = Rarely, 3 = Sometimes, 4 = Usually, 5 = Always.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 5 to 40. Interpretation guidelines:
- Raw subscale scores range from 5 to 25 (for 5-item scales) or 8 to 40 (for 8-item scales). Higher scores indicate higher levels of the respective construct.: 5 – 40
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Emotional support α = .969; Instrumental support α = .947; Friendship α = .945; Loneliness α = .939; Perceived rejection α = .932; Perceived hostility α = .941.
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.