RESEARCH ARTICLE
Reliability and Validity of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS): Thai Version
Tinakon Wongpakaran1, *, Nahathai Wongpakaran1, Ruk Ruktrakul2
Article Information
Identifiers and Pagination:
Year: 2011Volume: 7
First Page: 161
Last Page: 166
Publisher ID: CPEMH-7-161
DOI: 10.2174/1745017901107010161
Article History:
Received Date: 21/1/2011Revision Received Date: 31/8/2011
Acceptance Date: 31/8/2011
Electronic publication date: 26/10/2011
Collection year: 2011

open-access license: This is an open access article licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/) which permits unrestricted, non-commercial use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the work is properly cited.
Abstract
This study examines the Thai version of the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) for its psychometric properties.
Methods:
In total 462 participants were recruited - 310 medical students from Chiang Mai University and 152 psychiatric patients, and they completed the Thai version of the MSPSS, the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES) and the Thai Depression Inventory (TDI). Test-retest reliability was conducted over a four week period.
Results:
Factor analysis produced three-factor solutions for both patient (PG) and student groups (SG), and overall the model demonstrated adequate fit indices. The mean total score and the sub-scale score for the SG were statistically higher than those in the PG, except for ‘Significant Others’. The internal consistency of the scale was good, with a Cronbach’s alpha of 0.91 for the SG and 0.87 for the PG. After a four week retest for reliability exercise, the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC) was found to be 0.84. The Thai-MSPSS was found to have a negative correlation with the STAI and the TDI, but was positively correlated with the RSES.
Conclusion:
The Thai MSPSS is a reliable and valid instrument to use.