The Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS): Reliability and Validity of Russian Version.

OBJECTIVE: To assess factorial and construct validity along with reliability of the Russian version of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) in cardiac patients.

METHODS: The study included 1018 patients with coronary artery disease. All patients were offered the opportunity to complete a questionnaire to detect psychosocial risk and protective factors, including the MSPSS.

RESULTS: Internal consistency of the Russian version of the MSPSS was high: Cronbach's alpha coefficient in the group of patients with stable angina was .91 vs. .90 in the group with acute coronary syndrome. The three-factor structure of the MSPSS was proved with exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. As expected, the Russian version of the MSPSS was negatively correlated with measures of anxiety and depression, and positively correlated with curiosity.

CONCLUSIONS: The Russian version of MSPSS corresponds closely with the English version in reliability, consistency, and internal structure. Test-retest reliability was satisfactorally high and construct validity was supported with the results of the correlation analysis.

CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Our study confirms that MSPSS questionnaire is a high valid tool to estimate social support and it can be successfully applied to define social support in patients with cardiac pathology.