Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 6, 2026

Using Chronic Social Stress to Model Postpartum Depression in Lactating Rodents
Published on: June 10, 2013
Development and validation of a scale to assess social support in the postpartum period
1Institute of Psychology, Illinois Institute of Technology, Chicago, Illinois, USA. Hopkins@iit.edu
Abstract:
The development, reliability, and validity of a new instrument designed to assess aspects of social support specifically relevant to the postpartum period, the Postpartum Social Support Questionnaire (PSSQ), is described. The PSSQ was administered to 126 women at 2, 4, 6, and 12 months postpartum. Results indicate that it has high test-retest reliability and internal consistency. Factor analyses suggest that the scale consists of four factors: partner support, parent support, in-law support, and extended-family and friends support. In addition, the PSSQ scores of depressed and nondepressed women were compared at 2, 4, 6, and 12 months postpartum. Women who met diagnostic criteria for depression at 2 months postpartum reported less partner support than the nondepressed women at each assessment. The instrument appears to be a valid and reliable measure that should be useful in studies examining the role of social support in postpartum adaptation.
Related Concept Videos
Socioemotional Development during Infancy
Primary Temperament Types
Stella Chess...
Relationship with Parents: Attachment
Attachment Styles
Formulating and Validating Nursing Diagnosis II
Risk nursing diagnoses represent clinical judgments of an individual, family, or community more vulnerable to developing the health problem than others...
Social Relationships and Well-Being