Description of the Questionnaire

The Perceived Social Support from Friends Scale (PSS-FR) is a self-report tool designed to measure the extent to which individuals perceive that they receive emotional, practical, and social support from their friends. It was developed by Procidano and Heller in 1983 as part of the broader Perceived Social Support Scale, which also includes the family support subscale (PSS-FA). The PSS-FR consists of 20 statements to which respondents are asked to indicate their level of agreement using a 6-point Likert scale. The scale has been translated and adapted into several languages, including Greek, and is widely used in research and clinical settings.

Purpose

The purpose of the scale is to explore the degree to which individuals feel supported by their social network of friends. Perceived support from friends is associated with psychological resilience, better stress management, and overall mental well-being. The scale can be used to identify potential gaps in social support that may be linked to symptoms of anxiety, depression, or social isolation.

Data Analysis and Use

Data are analyzed by summing the responses to each item. Some items are negatively worded and require reverse scoring prior to computing the total score. The final result provides an indication of the level of support perceived from friends. Data can be analyzed using descriptive statistics, group mean comparisons, or correlations with other psychometric variables.

Use of Data

Data from the PSS-FR can be used in research studies examining the importance of friendship and social relationships in psychological health. The tool can also be used in clinical evaluations, in educational settings to monitor students’ social integration, and in psychosocial interventions. Additionally, it is suitable for cross-cultural or longitudinal studies of social support levels.

Scoring

Responses are given on a 6-point Likert scale, where 1 means “Strongly disagree” and 6 means “Strongly agree.” Total scores range from 20 to 120. Higher scores indicate greater perceived support from friends. Negatively phrased items are reverse scored. The scale has demonstrated high internal consistency, with Cronbach’s alpha values often above 0.85.

References

Procidano, M. E., & Heller, K. (1983). Measures of perceived social support from friends and from family: Three validation studies. American Journal of Community Psychology, 11(1), 1–24.
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.
Papakostas, G. (2012). Psychometric evaluation of the Perceived Social Support Scale in a Greek student sample.