Related Experiment Videos
The Mannheim Interview on Social Support. Reliability and validity data from three samples
1Central Institute of Mental Health, Mannheim, Federal Republic of Germany.
Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology
|September 1, 1990
Summary
The Mannheim Interview on Social Support (MISS) offers a comprehensive assessment of social resources, detailing both network members and support functions. This structured interview provides richer data than traditional questionnaires for understanding an individual's social support environment.
Area of Science:
- Psychology
- Social Sciences
- Health Sciences
Background:
- Traditional social support questionnaires offer limited network details.
- Network-analytical methods often lack functional support specifics.
Purpose of the Study:
- Introduce the Mannheim Interview on Social Support (MISS).
- Combine network analysis and functional support assessment.
- Evaluate the MISS's stability and validity.
Main Methods:
- Developed a structured interview (MISS) mapping social resources.
- Utilized a "support matrix" of network members, relationship characteristics, and support functions.
- Collected data from diverse samples: depressed patients, students, and cancer parents.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated good test-retest stability for MISS scores (rtt = 0.66–0.88 for 4 weeks; rtt = 0.42–0.79 for 6 months).
- Validated the MISS against conceptually related instruments.
- Showcased the MISS's ability to capture dimensions missed by subjective support questionnaires.
Conclusions:
- The MISS provides a robust and stable measure of social support.
- This instrument offers a more detailed understanding of an individual's social support network and functions.
- The MISS is a valuable tool for research and clinical practice in assessing social resources.