The Modified Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey (mMOS-SS) is an 8-item self-reported measure of individual experience of social support, with two subscale measures of emotional support, and instrumental support. Items ask respondents about having someone to help with physical needs, and emotional assistance. The mMOS-SS is an abbreviated adaptation of the original 19-item Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey (MOS-SS).
Geographies Tested: United States of America
Populations Included: Female
Age Range: Adults
If you needed it, how often is someone available:
1. to help you if you were confined to bed? (I)
2. to take you to the doctor if you needed it? (I)
3. to prepare your meals if you are unable to do it yourself? (I)
4. to help with daily chores if you were sick? (I)
5. to have a good time with? (E)
6. to turn to for suggestions about how to deal with a personal problem? (E)
7. who understands your problems? (E)
8. to love and make you feel wanted? (E)
Note: Items pertaining to subscale measures are denoted as: instrumental support (I) and emotional support (E).
Response options:
Not specified.
The score for mMOS-SS is calculated as the average score of subscale items transformed to a zero to 100 scale, with higher scores indicating more support.
Moser, A., Stuck, A. E., Silliman, R. A., Ganz, P. A., & Clough-Gorr, K. M. (2012). The eight-item modified Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey: Psychometric evaluation showed excellent performance. Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 65(10), 1107-1116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2012.04.007
Psychometric Score
Ease of Use Score
Qualitative Research
Existing Literature/Theoretical Framework
Field Expert Input
Cognitive Interviews / Pilot Testing
Internal
Test-retest
Interrater
Content
Face
Criterion (gold-standard)
Construct
Readability
Scoring Clarity
Length
to get the latest updates on new measures and guidance for survey researchers