Analysis

The analysis of the Social Support Opinions Survey (SSOS) involves evaluating the tool’s reliability and validity. The internal consistency of the items, often assessed through Cronbach’s alpha, is crucial for ensuring the coherence of responses. Test-retest reliability examines the stability of responses over time. The validity of the tool is assessed through comparative studies with other established measures of social support and through factor analyses that confirm the structure and comprehensibility of the questionnaire.

Objective

The objective of the SSOS is to provide a reliable and valid means of understanding individuals’ views and perceptions regarding social support. This tool is widely used in research to study the impact of social support perceptions on mental and physical health, as well as in the development of interventions that enhance social support. In addition, it can be used to evaluate the effectiveness of programs aimed at improving social support across different populations.

Calibration

The calibration of the SSOS is carried out using a Likert scale, where responses range from 1 (strongly disagree) to 5 (strongly agree), depending on the degree of agreement or disagreement with the statements in the questionnaire. Total scores are calculated by summing the scores of individual items for each dimension of social support. Higher scores indicate more positive perceptions and greater perceived value of social support.

References

The literature on the SSOS includes studies documenting the development and validation of the tool. An important source is the work of Zimet, Dahlem, Zimet, and Farley (1988), published in the Journal of Personality Assessment. This study provides a detailed description of the development of the SSOS, the evaluation of its psychometric reliability and validity, as well as its application across different populations. In addition, the work of Sarason, Sarason, and Pierce (1990) examines the theoretical foundations of social support and its effects on well-being, supporting the usefulness of the SSOS in research and clinical practice.