Scale Overview
The Social Support-Friends and Family Scale – PSS-Fr and PSS-Fa was developed by Procidano, M. E., & Heller, K. (1983). It is designed to measure Perceived Social Support. The scale is intended for use with Adults and adolescents.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 40 items organized into 2 factors/subscales: Perceived Social Support from Family (PSS-Fa), Perceived Social Support from Friends (PSS-Fr).
| Factor / Subscale |
Items |
N |
| Perceived Social Support from Family (PSS-Fa) |
1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13,14,15,16,17,18,19,20 |
20 |
| Perceived Social Support from Friends (PSS-Fr) |
21,22,23,24,25,26,27,28,29,30,31,32,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40 |
20 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: yes = Yes, no = No, dont_know = Don't know.
The scale includes 11 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 20. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Perceived Social Support: 0 – 6
- Moderate Perceived Social Support: 7 – 13
- High Perceived Social Support: 14 – 20
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of PSS-Fa: 0.90, PSS-Fr: 0.88.
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.