Brief Description

The Short Form Social Support Questionnaire (SSQ-6) is a self-report instrument designed to assess perceived social support and satisfaction with that support. It consists of six items related to different forms of social support. For each item, participants indicate (1) the number of people they can rely on in that specific situation and (2) their level of satisfaction with the support provided. The questionnaire yields two subscales: (a) number of available supporters and (b) satisfaction with received support.

Purpose

The SSQ-6 has a dual purpose: (1) to capture an individual’s subjective perception of their social support network, and (2) to measure satisfaction with that support in critical personal and social situations. It is a simplified version of the original Social Support Questionnaire (SSQ) developed by Sarason and colleagues.

Scoring Method

Scoring involves summing responses across the two dimensions. For the number of available supporters, participants list names (or indicate quantity), while satisfaction is rated on a 7-point Likert scale (1 = not at all satisfied to 7 = very satisfied). The total or average for each subscale is calculated for analysis.

Validity

The validity of the subscales has been supported by correlations with other psychological constructs, confirming sound conceptual structure. Both international and Greek literature indicate that the SSQ-6 is associated with indicators of mental health and social functioning.

Reliability

The internal consistency of the SSQ-6 is high, with Cronbach’s alpha values of 0.92 for the number-of-supporters subscale and 0.85 for the satisfaction subscale. These figures reflect strong reliability and coherence of the two dimensions.

Data Analysis and Use

The Greek adaptation of the SSQ-6 was tested on a sample of 93 university students and 54 adults. The average age of students was 19.5 years, and 33.7 years for the adult group. Results demonstrated high internal consistency and adequate psychometric properties, supporting the tool’s use in both research and clinical settings.

References

Roussi, P., & Vassilaki, E. (2001). The applicability of the Multiaxial Model of Coping to the Greek population. Anxiety, Stress, and Coping: An International Journal, 14, 125–147.
Sarason, I. G., Sarason, B. R., Shearin, E. N., & Pierce, G. R. (1987). A brief measure of social support: Practical and theoretical implications. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 4, 497–510.