Psychometric properties of a Russian version of the Social Support Questionnaire (SSQ6) in Eastern European immigrants
Ana Paula Teixeira de Almeida Vieira Monteiro
Nursing School of Coimbra, UCPESMP, Coimbra, Portugal
PP: 157 - 162
Abstract
Background: The concept of social support and its relationship to physical health and psychological well-being has been well documented. The Social Support Questionnaire [Sarason, Sarason, Shearin, & Pierce (1987) A brief measure of social support: Practical and theoretical implications. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 4, 497-510] is a self-administered questionnaire used to measure the availability and satisfaction with perceived social support an individual has.
Aim: The purpose of this study was to assess the psychometric properties of a Russian version of the SSQ6 in a sample of Russian-speaking immigrants residing in Portugal.
Methods: The SSQ6 was administered to 555 subjects - Russian-speaking immigrants residing in several regions of Portugal. The questionnaire was administered on a group basis along with a number of other self-report tests as part of a larger mental health status immigrants' study.
Results: The Russian version of the SSQ6 has an internally consistent measure Cronbach's α 0.885 for the total scale. For the subscale SSQ6N (number of supporters) Cronbach's α was 0.907; for the subscale SSQ6S (satisfaction of support) Cronbach's α was 0.921. Two factors were extracted using factor analysis - Number of supporters and Satisfaction with social support.
Keywords
reliability instrumental study; social support; Russian version; SSQ6
References
Caplan, G. (1974). Support systems and community mental health. New York: Behavioural Publications.
Cassell, J. (1974). Hypertension and cardiovascular disease in migrants: A potential source of clues? International Journal of Epidemiology, 3, 204-206.
Cobb, S. (1976). Social support as a moderator of life stress. Psychosomatic Medicine, 38, 300-314.
Cohen, S., & Wills, T. A. (1985). Stress, social support and the buffering hypothesis. Psychological Bulletin, 98, 310-357.
Cutrona, C. E., & Russell, D. (1990). Type of social support and specific stress: Toward a theory of optimal matching. In I. G. Sarason, B. R. Sarason, & G. R. Pierce (Eds.), Social Support: An interactional view (pp. 319-366). New York: Wiley
Monteiro, A. P. (2006). Imigração e saúde: Imigrantes da Europa de Leste em Portugal. Revista Referência, 2, 9-20.
Oppedal, B., Røysamb, E., & Lackland Sam, D. (2004).The effect of acculturation and social support on change in mental health among young immigrants. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 28(6), 481-494.
Sarason, I. G., Sarason, B. R., Shearin, E. N., & Pierce, A. R. (1987). A brief measure of social support: Practical and theoretical implications. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 4, 497-510.
Schlossberg, N., Waters, E. B., & Goodman, J. (1995). Counselling adults in transition: Linking practice with theory (2nd ed.). New York: Springer.
Schwarzer, R., & Leppin, A. (1991). Social support and health: A theoretical and empirical overview. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 8(1), 99-127.
Singer, J. E., & Lord, D. (1984). The role of social support in coping with chronic or life-threatening illness. In A. Baum, S. Taylor, & J. Singer (Eds.), Handbook of psychology and health (Vol. 4, pp. 269-278). Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Stansfeld, S. & Sprooton, K. (2002). Social Support and Networks in Ethnic minority psychiatric illness rates in the community (EMPIRIC)- Report (pp. 117-123). In K. Sproston & J. Nazroo (Eds.), London: Stationery Office Bookshops.
Wheaton, B. (1985). Models of the Stress-buffering functions of coping resources. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 26, 352-364.
Zilber, N., & Lerner, Y. (1996). Psychological distress among recent immigrants from the former Soviet Union to Israel, correlates of level of distress. Psychological Medicine, 26(3), 493-502.
eContent Home
