Construct validity of the Brazilian version of the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey (MOS-SSS) in a sample of elderly users of the primary healthcare system.

Miriane Lucindo Zucoloto,Scarlet Feitosa Santos,Natalia Akemi Yamada Terada,Edson Zangiacomi Martinez

doi:10.1590/2237-6089-2018-0092

Miriane Lucindo Zucoloto, Scarlet Feitosa Santos + Show 2 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1590/2237-6089-2018-0092

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Abstract

To assess the psychometric properties of the Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey (MOS-SSS) considering a sample of elderly users of the primary healthcare facilities of Ribeirão Preto, state of São Paulo, southeast Brazil. The MOS-SSS is a widely used measurement of social support in different contexts, consisting of 19 items with answer categories that range on a 7-point rating scale. Data collection regarding the psychometric properties of the MOS-SSS was performed in a stratified sample of elderly users of primary healthcare facilities of Ribeirão Preto. Data were collected at five district basic health units located in the city through face-to-face interviews. Polychoric correlation matrix and exploratory (EFA) and confirmatory (CFA) factor analyses were performed. A total of 357 elderly subjects aged 60 years or older participated in the study (62.7% females). According to the polychoric correlation matrix, higher coefficients of correlation (> 0.90) were detected among 12 pairs of items and grouped into four factors, as suggested for EFA. The results of the CFA confirmed the construct validity of the four-factor structure of the MOS-SSS when applied to our sample, as well as the stability of this model in distinct subsamples. The four-factor structure of the MOS-SSS was found to be suitable and presented adequate construct validity for the assessment of social support in elderly users of primary healthcare facilities.

Highlights

Social support is defined by Cobb[1] as information leading individuals to believe they are cared for, loved, esteemed and valued, which can include communication network and mutual obligation measures
The instrument comprises 19 items originally distributed into five dimensions covering different aspects of social support: affective support involves expressions of love and affection; positive social interaction is the availability of other persons to entertain the patient; emotional support is defined as the expression of positive affect and empathetic understanding, including encouragement of expressions of feelings; informational support is defined as the offering of advice, information, guidance or feedback; and tangible support is the provision of material aid or behavioral assistance.[6,7]
As goodness-of-fit indices, we considered the ratio of chi-square to its degrees of freedom (χ2/df), comparative fit index (CFI), Tucker-Lewis index (TLI) and root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA)

Summary

Introduction

Social support is defined by Cobb[1] as information leading individuals to believe they are cared for, loved, esteemed and valued, which can include communication network and mutual obligation measures. Some studies have reported that social support is related to positive health outcomes, such as lower risk of depression and/ or depression symptoms,[2] better quality of life, better management for patients with cancer,[3] decreased risk of cardiovascular disease,[4] and reduction of general illness symptoms.[5]. The Medical Outcomes Study Social Support Survey (MOS-SSS) was introduced by Sherbourne & Stewart[6] in a study on patients with chronic conditions. Respondents are asked to indicate how often each kind of support is available to them if/when they needed it. Based on a correlation matrix evaluation that showed considerable overlap between the emotional and informational support items, Sherbourne & Stewart[6] proposed that these sub-scales be combined into one emotional/informational support sub-scale

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