Multidimensional scale of perceived social support: validity and reliability in the Indian context

Human beings are social animal and social support has a significant influence on human behaviour. This makes social support, both perceived and real, an important influence on the behaviour of the social members. There have been many scales developed to measure real and perceived social support. The most successful being the multidimensional scale of perceived social support (MSPSS). The current study is an attempt to establish the reliability and validity in the Indian context, hitherto not established. The results of the study indicate that MSPSS is a reliable scale to measure perceived social support in the Indian context. The scale exhibits a three-factor structure, as originally proposed, and exhibits both internal and external validity. MSPSS can be used to measure perceived social support, in the Indian context, while investigating its various impacts on human behaviour in different research settings.