The Use of the Social Support Behaviors Scale With Adolescents

The psychometric properties of a multidimensional measure of social support, Vaux's Social Support Behaviors Scale (SS-B), were evaluated. The SS-B is represented by subscales describ ing 5 central categories of supportive behaviors (Emotional, Socializing, Practical, Financial, and Advice/Guidance), assessed for both friends and family. The SS-B was administered to a low socioeconomic status, mixed-race (19% Anglo, 37% African American, and 40% Hispanic) sample of adolescents (N = 105) who were attending pregnancy prevention programs A trend toward high scores, low variance, and few differences between pregnant/parenting and nonpreg nant/parenting teens were found on subscale scores. Factor analyses on separate subscales showed loadings more consistently for "family" than "friends." Overall results of psychometric analysis indicate that the scale needs further work to more accurately assess the salient behavioral dimensions of social support for samples from varying racial and socioeconomic backgrounds.