MSPSS: Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support

What this assessment is

The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support, or MSPSS, is a 12-item questionnaire about the support a person believes is available to them.

It separates support into three sources: family, friends, and a significant other. It also produces an overall perceived-support score.

Perception is the point.

The MSPSS does not count social contacts or record how often someone receives help. It measures whether support feels available and adequate.

It is not a diagnostic assessment.

Who it was designed for

The original 1988 study developed the MSPSS with university students. Later studies have used translated and adapted versions in many adult and adolescent populations.

The standard form is completed by the person being assessed. It does not use a fixed recall period, so it reflects the person's general view when they answer.

Age, culture, family structure, current mood, and recent life events can all affect that view, so use evidence from the relevant population when comparing scores.

How it is administered

The person rates 12 statements using seven response levels.

Completion usually takes a few minutes. All statements contribute to one of the three four-item subscales and to the total scale.

Use the exact validated language version. Changing who counts as family or a significant other can change the construct being measured.

The developer's standard scoring sheet does not provide a general missing-response rule. Do not fill a gap with a neutral response or calculate a standard mean from an incomplete form without a defined protocol.

What it measures

The MSPSS reports perceived support from:

• family
• friends
• a significant other or special person

The subscales can show an uneven pattern. Someone may feel well supported by friends but not by family, for example.

The MSPSS does not show whether support is practical, emotional, or financial. It also does not measure relationship conflict or the size of a social network.

The UCLA-3 measures loneliness instead. Low perceived support and high loneliness can occur together, but they are not opposite scores on one scale.

How scoring works

Each response is scored from 1 to 7. Higher values indicate stronger perceived support.

For each subscale, add its four responses and divide by four. For the total scale, add all 12 responses and divide by 12.

Each result therefore ranges from 1 to 7.

There are no reverse-scored items in the standard MSPSS. Keep subscale means separate when the source of support matters.

Some studies report sums instead of means. A total sum ranges from 12 to 84, but the developer's scoring instructions use means. State the convention before comparing results.

How to interpret an MSPSS score

The developer states that the MSPSS has no established population norms.

The scoring guide offers these response-based descriptions for a mean:

• 1.0 to 2.9: low perceived support
• 3.0 to 5.0: moderate perceived support
• 5.1 to 7.0: high perceived support

These are descriptive groups, not clinical cutoffs.

They do not show that support is objectively absent, identify why someone feels unsupported, or prove that an intervention is required.

Compare the same version and scoring convention. For research, a population-specific distribution or change over time may be more useful than placing everyone into three groups.

What the score cannot tell you

The MSPSS cannot confirm how much help is actually available or how useful that help would be in a crisis.

It cannot identify why support feels low. Depression, anxiety, conflict, bereavement, relocation, discrimination, and a genuine lack of reliable relationships can all affect responses.

A high score does not prove that every relationship is safe. A low score does not diagnose depression, social anxiety, or another mental health condition.

Use the pattern as a prompt for a direct conversation about the person's circumstances and preferences.

Evidence and limitations

The original study supported a three-factor structure for family, friends, and significant-other support. It also found expected relationships with depression and anxiety symptoms.

A systematic review of cross-cultural versions found broad evidence for the three-factor model, while also documenting differences in methods and populations.

Self-report is the central limitation. Belief is not behavior.

The MSPSS records whether support feels available; it does not observe what other people actually do when help is needed.

Record the language, version, scoring convention, and context with the result.