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Updated: Aug 25, 2025

The Social Dimension of Stress: Experimental Manipulations of Social Support and Social Identity in the Trier Social Stress Test
Published on: November 19, 2015
Evidence of the validity of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) in university students
Adriana Vieira Macêdo Brugnoli1, Tonantzin Ribeiro Gonçalves1, Renato Canevari Dutra da Silva1
1Universidade do Vale do Rio dos Sinos (UNISINOS). Av. Unisinos, Cristo Rei. 93022-750 São Leopoldo RS Brasil. mppattussi@unisinos.br.
Abstract:
Social support refers to the social resources that a person perceives to be available and has been strongly associated with physical and mental health outcomes. The present study aimed to evaluate the internal consistency, construct validity, and test-retest reliability of the Perceived Social Support Multidimensional Scale (PSSMS) in university students in the Midwest of Brazil. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses were performed with two independent random samples, both consisting of 1,147 students. The test-retest study was carried out with a sample of 347 medical students. Data were collected in two separate moments with a 14-day interval. The solution with the best fit was the three-factor model: family, friends, and significant others. The factor loadings of the scale items ranged between 0.767 and 0.950 and each factor showed high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha=0.96, 0.97, and 0.97, respectively). The model also attained adequate fit: χ2(d.f.)=380 (49), p<0.0001; SRMR=0.023; RMSEA=0.077; CFI=0.993; TLI=0.990. Test-retest reliability was moderate (weighted kappa ranging from 0.36 to 0.52). The results suggest that the PSSMS has acceptable psychometric properties for use with university students.
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