MOS Social Support Survey Research Articles

The relationship between perceived social support and mood of testicular cancer patients.

A descriptive correlational study was conducted to investigate the relationship between perceived social support and mood of testicular cancer patients two to three months post-diagnosis. The conceptualization for the study was based on the cognitive-phenomenological theory of psychological stress (Lazarus and Folkman, 1984). A convenience sample of 30 young adult males with testicular cancer was interviewed. Data were collected using the Demographic Data Sheet, MOS Social Support Survey. Importance of Social Support Questionnaire, Profile of Mood States and two open-ended interview questions. Data indicated subjects felt well-supported, especially in areas that they thought were important. No significant relationship was found between perceived social support and mood in this sample. The findings suggest the need for the nurse's individualized assessment regarding the testicular cancer patient's number of close friends/relatives and the importance placed on different types of support.

The MOS social support survey

This paper describes the development and evaluation of a brief, multidimensional, self- administered, social support survey that was developed for patients in the Medical Outcomes Study (MOS), a two-year study of patients with chronic conditions. This survey was designed to be comprehensive in terms of recent thinking about the various dimensions of social support. In addition, it was designed to be distinct from other related measures. We present a summary of the major conceptual issues considered when choosing items for the social support battery, describe the items, and present findings based on data from 2987 patients (ages 18 and older). Multitrait scaling analyses supported the dimensionality of four functional support scales (emotional/informational, tangible, affectionate, and positive social interaction) and the construction of an overall functional social support index. These support measures are distinct from structural measures of social support and from related health measures. They are reliable (all Alphas >0.91), and are fairly stable over time. Selected construct validity hypotheses were supported.