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Updated: Jun 11, 2026

The Social Dimension of Stress: Experimental Manipulations of Social Support and Social Identity in the Trier Social Stress Test
Published on: November 19, 2015
Adaptation of the multidimensional scale of perceived social support in a Ugandan setting
Janet Nakigudde1, Seggane Musisi, Anna Ehnvall
1Department of Psychiatry, Makerere University College of Health Sciences, Kampala, Uganda. jnakigudde@med.mak.ac.ug
Background:
The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) was developed in the USA. The adequacy of its use in Uganda to guarantee its reliability and validity has not been ascertained.
Aim:
Thus the aim of the present study was to adapt the MSPSS scale by testing the validity and reliability of the scale in a Ugandan setting.
Methods:
A cross-sectional design was employed and 240 respondents were consecutively recruited from postnatal clinics in Mulago hospital. Analysis of reliability and validity of the adapted MSPSS was done. Cronbach alpha and principal component analyses were respectively generated.
Results:
Three subscales of the MSPSS that had been identified in other populations were evident in the Ugandan population. Using the Cronbach's alpha, the MSPSS demonstrated good internal consistency at .83. A dendrogram indicated that all sub items of the MSPSS were inter-linked. Exploratory Factor analysis derived three components. Principal Component analysis using rotated varimax generated high loadings on all subscales.
Conclusion:
The adapted MSPSS can reliably be used in Uganda.
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