Table 2 Social support measures used in studies included in this review
Measure | Type of social support assessed by measure | Type of measurement tool | Use of measure in included study | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Arizona Social Support Interview Schedule (ASSIS) [32] | Size and availability of and satisfaction with support network. | Structured interview. | Bottomley 2017 [31] | 12 variables derived. Perceived need for and satisfaction with each of 6 categories: intimate interaction, material aid, advice and information, positive feedback, physical assistance, social participation |
Burke 2010 [33] | 5 variables derived: available support network for family and non-family, actual support network, anticipated and actual negative relationships | |||
Coppel Index of Social Support (CISS) [35] | Structural and functional support | Self-report questionnaire. 15 items on a 5 point Likert scale | Cowan 1985 [27] | Items across domains summed for total score of perceived social support. |
Murphy 1988 [28] | Items across domains summed for total score of perceived social support. | |||
Received social support | Self-report questionnaire. 7 items on a 7 point Likert scale | Kristensen 2010 [40] | Scandinavian version. Factors summed separately to measure positive social support and negative social response. | |
DUKE-UNC Functional Social Support Questionnaire [39] | Functional social support | Self-report questionnaire. 11 items on a 5 point Likert scale | Heeke 2017 [38] | Translated version. Items summed for total score of perceived social support. |
Inventory of Social Support (ISS) [34]a | Perceived social support for grief | Self-report questionnaire. 5 items on a 5 point Likert scale | Burke 2010 [33] | Items summed for total score of available grief support. |
Rheingold 2015 [47] | Items summed for total score of perceived social support. | |||
Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) [57] | Perceived presence and level of support across three domains: family, friends and significant other. | Self-report questionnaire. 12 items on 7 point Likert scale | Bailey 2013 [29] | Items across domains summed for total score of perceived social support. |
Burke 2010 [33] | Items across domains summed for total score of available general support. | |||
Levi-Belz 2015 [42] | Items across domains summed for total score of available perceived support. | |||
Levi-Belz 2019 [43] | Items across domains summed for total score of perceived support. | |||
Li 2015 [44] | Translated version. Items across domains summed for total score of general social support. | |||
Perceived social support: functional support | Self-report questionnaire. Amount of support from supportive network members listed. | Spino 2016 [48] | Network score, relationship score and both combined for total score. | |
Perceived Social Support Scales, friends and family (PSS-Fr, PSS-Fa) [37] | Perceived social support from friends and family | Self-report questionnaires. 20 items on a 3 point Likert scale | Fullerton 1999 [36] | Items summed for each scale for total score of support from friends and support from family. |
Provisions of Social Relations Scale (PSRS) [51] | Perceived social support | Self-report questionnaire. 18 items on a 5 point Likert scale | Sprang 1998 [50] | Family support and friend support subscales combined for a total score of cognitive appraisal of support. |
Perceived Social Support Questionnaire (PSSQ) [46] | Perceived social support | Self-report questionnaire. 6 items on a 5 point Likert scale | Oexle 2019 [45] | Items summed for a total score of perceived support. |
Social Support Rating Scale (SSRS) [53] | Subjective support, objective support and support availability | Self-report questionnaire developed for Chinese populations. 10 items | Xu 2017 [52] | Three domains of social support combined for a total score and categorised into low, medium and high support. |