Description

The Social Provisions Scale (SPS) is a psychometric instrument designed to assess perceived social support available to an individual through their social relationships. It focuses on the availability and quality of supportive interpersonal resources and is commonly used to examine the role of social support in psychological and physical well-being.

Purpose

The main purpose of the SPS is to provide a reliable and valid assessment of the extent to which individuals perceive that they receive adequate social support. It can be used in both research and clinical settings to explore support needs and the impact of social relationships on health and adjustment.

Scoring and Analysis

Responses are rated on a 4-point Likert scale, ranging from 1 (“not at all true”) to 4 (“very true”). Each subscale includes four items, and scores are calculated by summing the corresponding responses. Higher scores indicate greater perceived social support.

Psychometric evaluation may include internal consistency analysis, convergent and discriminant validity, and factor analysis.

Applications

The SPS can be used in psychological, social, clinical, and health-related research, particularly in studies examining the relationship between social support, stress, mental health, adjustment, and physical well-being.

References

Cutrona, C. E., & Russell, D. W. (1987). The provisions of social relationships and adaptation to stress.

Sarason, I. G., Levine, H. M., Basham, R. B., & Sarason, B. R. (1983). Assessing social support: The Social Support Questionnaire. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.