12-item measure assessing perceived social support from family, friends, and significant other. ≈ 3 min to complete. Free with attribution.
MSPSS (Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support) is a validated clinical instrument used to assess 12-item measure assessing perceived social support from family, friends, and significant other.. It is most often used for 12-item measure assessing perceived social support from family, friends, and significant other.. The instrument contains 12 items. Typical administration time is ≈ 3 min.
Source / attribution: Free to use with citation
12-item measure assessing perceived social support from family, friends, and significant other. MSPSS is part of standard practice in this setting because it provides a structured, replicable assessment that can be tracked over time and compared across patients or visits.
Like all screening or assessment instruments, MSPSS is a structured aid — not a diagnostic test in isolation. Results should be interpreted alongside history, examination, and clinical context. Where a score crosses an actionable threshold, the next step is typically a more detailed clinical evaluation rather than a definitive diagnosis.
Answer all 12 items below to see your MSPSS score and interpretation.
Each item is scored on a 7-point scale (1–7). Your score updates live as you answer.
All scoring runs in your browser. No data is sent anywhere — close the tab and the answers are gone.
Sum all 12 items scored 1-7. Total range 12-84. Three subscales (4 items each) range 4-28.
Scoring notes: Sum all 12 items scored 1-7. Total range 12-84. Three subscales (4 items each) range 4-28.
The cutoffs below are drawn from the published validation literature. Always interpret in clinical context.
| Score range | Band | Interpretation |
|---|---|---|
| 12–35 | Low support | Social support intervention |
| 36–60 | Moderate support | Monitor |
| 61–84 | High support | Maintain |
This is an illustrative walkthrough, not a real patient. Follow the same four steps with your own answers — or use the live calculator at the top of this page.
Read each question and choose the response that best fits. Each response has a number next to it — that number is the item's score. The example below uses illustrative answers.
| # | Item | Example response | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | There is a special person who is around when I am in need | Neutral | 4 |
| 2 | There is a special person with whom I can share my joys and sorrows | Neutral | 4 |
| 3 | My family really tries to help me | Neutral | 4 |
| 4 | I get the emotional help and support I need from my family | Neutral | 4 |
| 5 | I have a special person who is a real source of comfort to me | Neutral | 4 |
| 6 | My friends really try to help me | Neutral | 4 |
| 7 | I can count on my friends when things go wrong | Neutral | 4 |
| 8 | I can talk about my problems with my family | Neutral | 4 |
| 9 | I have friends with whom I can share my joys and sorrows | Neutral | 4 |
| 10 | There is a special person in my life who cares about my feelings | Neutral | 4 |
| 11 | My family is willing to help me make decisions | Neutral | 4 |
| 12 | I can talk about my problems with my friends | Neutral | 4 |
Add up all the item scores you noted in Step 1.
4 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 4 = 48
Find the row in the interpretation table whose range contains your total:
Total = 48 falls between 36 and 60 → Moderate support
Moderate support. Monitor
A score is one input alongside history and examination. MSPSS supports clinical judgment — it does not replace it.
Psychometric figures are drawn from the validation literature and may vary across clinical populations and translations.
If MSPSS doesn't fit your context, related instruments in social support include:
| Scale | Measures | Items | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| OSSS-3 | 3-item brief measure of perceived social support. | 3 | ≈ 1 min |
| UCLA-LS | 20-item measure of subjective feelings of loneliness and social isolation. | 20 | ≈ 5 min |
| UCLA-LS-3 | Ultra-brief 3-item version of UCLA Loneliness Scale for large surveys. | 3 | ≈ 1 min |
| PHQ-9 | Severity of depression | 9 | ≈ 3 minutes |
| GAD-7 | Severity of generalized anxiety | 7 | ≈ 2 minutes |
| AUDIT | 10-item WHO screening tool for hazardous alcohol consumption and dependence. | 10 | ≈ 3 min |
| CHA2DS2-VASc | Annual stroke risk in non-valvular atrial fibrillation | 8 | — |
| Glasgow Coma Scale | Level of consciousness after head injury | 3 | — |
MSPSS (Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support) is a validated instrument that assesses perceived social support from family, friends, and significant other. It is designed for clinicians, medical students, evidence-synthesis researchers. It takes about 3 min to complete, and the 12 items are summed to produce a total score.
MSPSS typically takes about 3 min to administer. The exact duration varies a little depending on whether it is self-administered or completed with a clinician. Its brief format is part of what makes it practical for routine clinical use and for repeat administration when tracking change over time.
MSPSS contains 12 items. Item scores are summed to produce the total. Scores run from 12 to 84, grouped into 3 interpretation bands from ‘Low support’ up to ‘High support’.
On the MSPSS (total score 12–84), scores of 61–84 fall in the ‘High support’ band — interpreted as: Maintain. The full ladder is: 12–35 — Low support: Social support intervention.; 36–60 — Moderate support: Monitor.; 61–84 — High support: Maintain. A higher score reflects a more severe presentation, and crossing a cutoff is a prompt to step up assessment or care — but these bands are screening thresholds, not diagnoses.
Scores of 12–35 fall in the ‘Low support’ band: Social support intervention. A low score is reassuring but does not by itself rule out the underlying condition — if symptoms or clinical suspicion persist, reassess over time or use a complementary evaluation rather than relying on the number alone.
MSPSS has reported Cronbach's α of 0.88 in validation samples and test–retest reliability of 0.85. Validated in adolescent and adult populations. In practical terms, a Cronbach’s α around 0.88 indicates good internal consistency (the items hang together well), and a test–retest reliability of 0.85 means scores are strongly stable when the scale is repeated without real clinical change.
MSPSS is free to use with attribution — clinical, educational, and research use is permitted provided the original source is credited. If you publish results or reproduce the scale, include the citation to the source paper.
Zimet, G. D., Dahlem, N. W., Zimet, S. G., & Farley, G. K. (1988). The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support. Journal of Personality Assessment, 52(1), 30-41. This is the original publication for the MSPSS — the reference to cite when reporting results.
No. MSPSS is a structured assessment aid, not a diagnostic test. Its proper role is clinical assessment of perceived social support from family, friends, and significant other — it standardizes assessment and flags who needs closer evaluation, but the result must be weighed alongside history, examination, and clinical context. When a score conflicts with your clinical impression, clinical judgment takes precedence; treatment decisions should never rest on a screening score alone.
MSPSS is supported by the following peer-reviewed sources: