Validation of the 10-Item Social Provision Scale (SPS-10): Evaluating Factor Structure, Reliability, Measurement...

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Social Sciences
• Cross-cultural Psychology

Background:

• The Social Provision Scale (SPS) is a widely used measure of perceived social support.
• A shortened 10-item version (SPS-10) has been proposed but requires further validation in diverse cultural contexts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To extensively investigate the psychometric properties of the SPS-10 across 38 countries.
• To validate the SPS-10 for use in large-scale, cross-cultural research.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the COVIDiSTRESS Global Survey (N=88,857).
• Employed item response theory bifactor analysis and unidimensional graded response modeling.
• Conducted measurement invariance and differential item/test functioning analyses.

Main Results:

• The general factor explained a substantial portion of item covariance (≥.75) across all countries.
• The SPS-10 mean/sum score effectively measures general social support.
• High reliability (ρ ≥ .89) and negligible differential test functioning were observed.
• Construct validity was supported by associations with external criteria.

Conclusions:

• The SPS-10 is a psychometrically sound and reliable measure of perceived social support.
• The SPS-10 is suitable for large-scale, cross-cultural research applications.