Social Support Scale- SSUS
Moharib. Nasser (1988)
A
1. I In general would you say that people wanted to be asked for help? YES‚ NO
2. Do you liked to be asked for help? YES‚ NO
3. Have you ever shared the same room with a member of your family? YES‚ NO
4. If the answer to Question 3 is yes‚ would you choose to live with that/those persons‚ if you had a chance to re-live your childhood over again? YES‚ NO
5. Does your family reward you when you achieve something? YES‚ NO
6. Have you ever received conflicting advice from your family? YES‚ NO
7. In general‚ have you ever felt overprotected by your family? YES‚ NO
– if yes‚ did you like that? YES‚ NO
– if no‚ would you like to have felt that way? YES‚ NO
8. Do you think that universities are the right place for choosing friends? YES‚ NO
9. Are you involved in any campus activities? YES‚ NO
10. In general‚ do you think that the students’ complaints are listened to by the University? YES‚ NO
11. Do any of your lecturers remind you of your parents? YES‚ NO
– to whether yes or no do you like that? YES‚ NO
12. Do you think that your friends want to be with you because they need you? YES‚ NO
13. Do you think that some of your friends take advantage of you? YES‚ NO
14. Do you think that your family members are interested in you because they really need you? YES‚ NO
15. Do you sometimes feel that your family members are interested in you because they feel an obligation to show some interest in you? YES‚ NO
16 Do your friends feel comfortable in the presence of your parents? YES‚ NO
B
For each question choose the answer that is applicable and true for you and circle the letter which belongs to the answer you choose.
17. When a member of your family faces any problems‚ do other members of the family encourage him/her to discuss them with the family or encourage him/her to keep them to his/herself?
A- Discuss them
B- Keep them to his/herself
18. Do you think that a person should discuss his/her problems with the rest of the family or keep them to his/herself?
A- Discuss them
B- Keep them to his/herself
19. How many friends do you have?
A- 0 to 3
B- 3 to 6
C- 6 or more
20 What is the ideal number of friends?
A- 0to 3
B- 3 to 6
C- 6 or more
21. Do you ever discuss your personal problems with your close friends?
A- Always
B- Sometimes
C- Seldom
22. Do you think that it is important to discuss your problems with your close friends?
A- Yes
B- No
23. Do you ever discuss your problems with your doctor?
A- Always
B- Sometimes
C- Seldom
24. Do you think that it is important to discuss your problems with your doctor?
A- Yes
B- No
25. Have you over shared the same room with another student?
A- YES
B- NO
26. If a new student seeks your advice‚ regarding living in the university housing would you advise him to live in a single room or to share a room with another student?
A- Single room
B- Share the same room
27. Do you talk to your lecturers outside the classrooms?
A- Always
B- Sometimes
C- Never
28. If you were a lecturer would you devote more time to meeting your students outside the classrooms or do you think that there is no need for that?
A- No need for that
B- Devote more time
29. Have you ever felt lonely?
A- Never
B- Sometimes
30. When you feel that you have to be with someone‚ do you look for him/her until you find him/her or do you avoid doing so because you think that you may force him/her to do something he/she does not like?
A- Look for him/her
B-I avoid that
31. Do you think that a person must have friends?
A- YES
B- NO
If yes‚ is that because he/she needs them or is it because people are encouraged to have friends by society?
A- Needs them
B- Encouraged by society
32. Does your family welcome your friends?
A- Yes
B- Sometimes
C- No
33. When you fail to achieve something‚ do your parents blame you‚ blame themselves or blame Society for your failure?
A- Blame me
B- Blame themselves
C- Blame the Society
34. When you achieve something do your parents think that you must be credited for it or do they think that they are the ones who must be credited?
A- Credit me
B- Think they must be credited
35. Have you ever been punished by your parents because you failed in school or anything aloe?
A- Yes
B- No
36. When you are in the presence of others‚ who usually starts the conversation?
A-I do
B- They do
37. Would you like to take the initiative in the conversation or would you rather wait until somebody also does?
A-I start
B- Wait for somebody also
38. When you look upset or sad‚ do your family members ask about what is bothering you?
A- Yes
B- No
39. Do your friends usually ask you about what is bothering you when you look upset or sad?
A- Yes
B- NO
40. When you are about to do something do your family members let you do it by yourself or try to do it for you?
A- Myself
B- Do it for me
C- Sometimes they try to do it for me
41. Do you think that a person should do what he is about to do by him/herself or would you say that his/her parents should do it for him/her?
A- Does it by him/herself
B- The family has to do it
C- Sometimes they try to do it for me
42. Do you feel that your friends are interested in what you are interested in?
A- Yes
B- Some of them
C- No
43. Do you think that people who do not share one’s point of view must be avoided?
A- Yes
B- No
44. Some people think that when a person is really down it is most likely that nobody caress do you agree with this statement?
A-Yes
B- No
45. Do you feel at ease and relaxed when you visit your friends?
A- Yes
B- Sometimes
C- No
46. When you visit your friends do you behave in certain ways to avoid hurting their feeling?
A- yes
B- Sometimes
C- No
47. Do your friends feel at ease and relaxed when they visit you?
A- Yes
B- Sometimes
C- No
48. Do your friends behave in certain ways to avoid hurting your feelings when they visit you?
A- Yes
B- Sometimes t
C- Never
49. having friends means that you are expected to offer them as much as they offer you; do you agree with this statement?
A- Yes
B- Sometimes t
C- No
If YES or SOMETIMES: do you think it is not easy for most people to keep up with this rule?
A- Yes
B- No
50. How many close friends do you have?
A- 0 to 3
B- 3 to 6
C- 6 or more
51. If you had a choice would you like to have fewer close friends‚ keep the number you have or have more close friends?
A- Power
B- Keep the number
C- More
52. How many brothers and sisters do you have?
A- I am the only one
B- l to 3
C- 3to6
53. Do you think that the number of children in a given family has any effect on the way in which these children are treated by their family?
A- Yes
B- No
If YES‚ in what way? (open answer)……….
54. Did your parents prefer to have boys rather than girls or vice versa?
A- Boys
B- Girls
55. In your family‚ are males outnumbered by females or females outnumbered by males?
A- Males outnumbered by females
B- Females outnumbered by males
C- Not applicable
56. Have you ever lived with a step-father?
A- Yes
B- No
If YES‚ would you may that living with a step-father is worse or better than living with the biological parents or would you say it is about the same?
A- worse
B- Better
C- About the same
57. Have you ever lived with a step-mother?
A – Yes
B- No
If YES‚ would you say that living with a step-mother is worse or better than living with the biological parents or would you say it is about the same?
A- worse
B- Better
C- About the same
58. Would you say that your relationship with the opposite sex is satisfactory or unsatisfactory?
A- Satisfactory
B- Unsatisfactory
59. Would you think that children who live with strict parents are as happy as those who live with easy-going parents?
A- Yes
B- No
if NO‚ who would be happier (open answer)..
60. Would you describe your parents as inflexible or as easy-going parents?
A- Inflexible
B- Easy-going
61. Other than for the sake of employment‚ why do you think people sometimes move from one town to another?
A- Because of the people
B- Because of the weather
C- Because of the lack of fun
D- Because of the size of the population
E- Other …………………………….
62. Have you ever thought seriously about moving to another town?
A- Yes
B- No
63. What is/was the size of the house/flat in which you lived with your parents?
A- Small
B- Average
C- Large
If the answer is SMALL‚ have you ever dreamt about living in a larger house/flat?
A- Yes
B- No
64. How would you describe the atmosphere of your University campus?
A- Friendly
B- Indifferent
C- Hostile
65. When you are on campus‚ do you feel that you are part of the whole thing or do you feel that you do not belong to it?
A- Part of it
B- Do not belong
66. Do you like large‚ medium or small universities?
A- Large
B- Medium
C- Small
67. How are your relationships with your lecturers?
A- Good
B- Okay
C- Bad
68. Do you miss the campus when you are away from it?
A- Yes
B- No
69. How many friends do you have on campus?
A- 1to 3
B- 3 to 6
C- None
If the answer is A or B would you like to maintain your friendship with those students even after leaving the University?
A- Yes
B- Some of them
C- No
70. Was it easy for you to build up your relationships with those students?
A- Yes
B- No
71. How would you describe your relationship with the University Administration?
A- Good
B- OK
C- Bad
72. Have you ever discussed your problems with the University Counselling Unit?
A- Yes
B- No
If the answer is NO‚ was this because you had no problems or was it because you did not want to?
A- Had no problems
B- Did not want to
If the answer is YES‚ were they helpful?
A- Yes
B- No
73. Are you frequently interrupted when you are talking to others?
A- Yes
B- No
If YES‚ do you think that such a thing is normal‚ acceptable or rude?
A- Normal
8- Acceptable
C- Rude
74. Do you think that people to whom you feel close feel the same towards you?
A- Yes
B- Some of them
C- Few of them
D- No
75. Do you sometimes find yourself in the presence of people whom you dislike?
A- Yes
B- No
If YES‚ does this bother you?
A- Yee
B- Sometimes
C- No
76. How many wives does your father have?
A- My mother only
B- 2
C- 3to4
Pages 463-473
This instrument can be found at: http://epubs.surrey.ac.uk/2841/1/380363.pdf
Moharib‚ Nasser I (1988) Psychosocial Factors in Health and In Illness: The Impact of Life Events‚ Social Support‚ Locus of Control‚ Polygamy and Identity on Health in British and Saudi Students Doctoral thesis‚ University of Surrey.