Scale Overview
The Scale of Perceived Social Support-Family was developed by Canty-Mitchell, J. & Zimet, G. D. (2000). It is designed to measure Perceived Social Support. The scale is intended for use with Urban adolescents.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 4 items.
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 1 = Rarely or Never, 2 = A Little Bit, 3 = Sometimes, 4 = A Good Part of the Time, 5 = Always.
Scoring
Items are summed to produce a total score.
Total scores range from 4 to 20. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Perceived Support: 4 – 8
- Moderate Perceived Support: 9 – 15
- High Perceived Support: 16 – 20
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Alpha coefficients in the .78 to .92 range.
Administration
The scale is self-administered and typically takes approximately 2 minutes to complete. It can be administered individually or in group settings. No special training is required for administration.