Authors:	Beutel, Manfred E. Brähler, Elmar Wiltink, Jörg Michal, Matthias Klein, Eva M. Jünger, Claus Wild, Philipp Münzel, Thomas Blettner, Maria Lackner, Karl J. Nickels, Stefan Tibubos, Ana N.
Title:	Emotional and tangible social support in a German population-based sample : development and validation of the Brief Social Support Scale (BS6)
Online publication date:	12-Oct-2022
Year of first publication:	2017
Language:	english
Abstract:	Aim of the study was the development and validation of the psychometric properties of a six-item bi-factorial instrument for the assessment of social support (emotional and tangible support) with a population-based sample. A cross-sectional data set of N = 15,010 participants enrolled in the Gutenberg Health Study (GHS) in 2007–2012 was divided in two sub-samples. The GHS is a population-based, prospective, observational single-center cohort study in the Rhein-Main-Region in western Mid-Germany. The first sub-sample was used for scale development by performing an exploratory factor analysis. In order to test construct validity, confirmatory factor analyses were run to compare the extracted bi-factorial model with the one-factor solution. Reliability of the scales was indicated by calculating internal consistency. External validity was tested by investigating demographic characteristics health behavior, and distress using analysis of variance, Spearman and Pearson correlation analysis, and logistic regression analysis. Based on an exploratory factor analysis, a set of six items was extracted representing two independent factors. The two-factor structure of the Brief Social Support Scale (BS6) was confirmed by the results of the confirmatory factor analyses. Fit indices of the bi-factorial model were good and better compared to the one-factor solution. External validity was demonstrated for the BS6. The BS6 is a reliable and valid short scale that can be applied in social surveys due to its brevity to assess emotional and practical dimensions of social support.
DDC:	610 Medizin 610 Medical sciences
Institution:	Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz
Department:	FB 04 Medizin
Place:	Mainz
ROR:	https://ror.org/023b0x485
DOI:	http://doi.org/10.25358/openscience-7954
Version:	Published version
Publication type:	Zeitschriftenaufsatz
License:	CC BY
Information on rights of use:	https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Journal:	PLOS ONE 12 10
Pages or article number:	e0186516
Publisher:	PLOS
Publisher place:	San Francisco, California, US
Issue date:	2017
ISSN:	1932-6203
Publisher URL:	http://dx.doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0186516
Publisher DOI:	10.1371/journal.pone.0186516
Appears in collections:	DFG-OA-Publizieren (2012 - 2017)