Scale Overview
The Social Support Questionnaire for Children – SSQC was developed by Gordon, A. T., Thompson, J., Kelley, M. L., Schexnaildre, M. A., & Burns, M. A. (2010). It is designed to measure Perceived Social Support. The scale is intended for use with Children and adolescents.
Scale Structure
This instrument consists of 50 items organized into 5 factors/subscales: Sibling Support, Relative Support, Peer Support, Parent Support, Non-parent Adult Support.
| Factor / Subscale |
Items |
N |
| Sibling Support |
1,2,7,14,21,27,34,40,45,47 |
10 |
| Relative Support |
3,4,10,12,18,26,30,36,41,49 |
10 |
| Peer Support |
5,6,8,11,15,17,19,20,38,42 |
10 |
| Parent Support |
9,16,22,23,24,25,31,33,35,37 |
10 |
| Non-parent Adult Support |
13,28,29,32,39,43,44,46,48,50 |
10 |
Response Format
Respondents rate each item using a custom response format.
Response anchors: 0 = Never or Rarely True, 1 = Sometimes True, 2 = Often or Very True, 3 = Always True.
Scoring
Items are scored by subscale, with each subscale sum representing a distinct dimension.
Total scores range from 0 to 150. Interpretation guidelines:
- Low Social Support: 0 – 50
- Moderate Social Support: 51 – 100
- High Social Support: 101 – 150
Psychometric Properties
Internal Consistency: The scale has demonstrated good to excellent internal consistency with reported Cronbach’s alpha values of Not specified.
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.