Measuring social support: An interrater reliability study of 18 patients with breast cancer assessed with a shortened version of the Self-Evaluation and Social Support (SESS) schedule

The Bedford College Self-Evaluation and Social Support (SESS) schedule is an extensive interview that assesses the protective role of social support from close relationships concerning the risk of psychiatric disorders after major stressors. We present the results of an interrater reliability study with a shortened Norwegian version (SESSsv) applied to 18 women with breast cancer. There was very good accordance between two raters with an ICC 1.1 of 0.80-0.93 for confiding behavior, active emotional support, and practical help. There was 89-94% agreement in assessing the seldom-reported negative interactions. We conclude that the SESSsv is a helpful, reliable, and easy-to-use way of assessing the qualitative content of a patient's close relationships. A Norwegian version of SESSsv is presented in the Appendix.