Protocol - Social Support
Description
The Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) Social Support Survey is a self-administered questionnaire that that includes 19 items across four functional support subscales: emotional/informational support (8 items), tangible/instrumental support (4 items), affectionate support (3 items), and positive social interaction (3 items). Each item is scored on a 5-point Likert style scale (1 = None of the Time; 5 = All of the Time) to indicate how often that type of support is available to them. A score for each social support subscale can be computed by averaging across the individual items or by adding scores individual items together. Higher scores indicate more support.
Specific Instructions
None
Availability
This protocol is freely available; permission not required for use.
Protocol
Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) Social Support Survey
People sometimes look to others for companionship, assistance, or other types of support. How often is each of the following kinds of support available to you if you need it? Circle one number on each line.
|
| None of the Time | A little of the Time | Some of the Time | Most of the Time | All of the Time |
| 1. Someone to help you if you were confined to bed. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 2. Someone you can count on to listen to you when you need to talk. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 3. Someone to give you good advice about a crisis. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 4. Someone to take you to the doctor if you needed it. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 5. Someone who shows you love and affection. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 6. Someone to have a good time with. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 7. Someone to give you information to help you understand a situation. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 8. Someone to confide in or talk to about yourself or your problems. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 9. Someone who hugs you. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 10. Someone to get together with for relaxation. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 11. Someone to prepare your meals if you were unable to do it yourself. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 12. Someone whose advice you really want. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 13. Someone to do things with to help get your mind off things. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 14. Someone to help with daily chores if you were sick. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 15. Someone to share your most private worries and fears with. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 16. Someone to turn to for suggestions about how to deal with a personal problem. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 17. Someone to do something enjoyable with. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 18. Someone who understands your problems. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
| 19. Someone to love and make you feel wanted. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
Scoring:
A score for each social support subscale can be computed as either a total score or an average for the individual items. Higher scores indicate more support.
Emotional/informational support: items 2, 3, 7, 8, 12, 15, 16, 18
Tangible support: items 1, 4, 11, 14
Affectionate support: items 5, 9, 19
Positive social interaction: items 6, 10, 17
Personnel and Training Required
None
Equipment Needs
None
Requirements
| Requirement Category | Required |
|---|---|
| Major equipment | No |
| Specialized training | No |
| Specialized requirements for biospecimen collection | No |
| Average time of greater than 15 minutes in an unaffected individual | No |
Mode of Administration
Self-administered questionnaire
Lifestage
Adult
Participants
Adults, ages 18 years and older
Selection Rationale
The Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) Social Support Survey is a brief, widely used, self-administered survey with established reliability and validity that captures the availability of functional social support.
Language
English
Standards
| Standard | Name | ID | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human Phenotype Ontology | No social interaction | HP:0008763 | HPO |
| caDSR Form | PhenX PX630501 - Social Support | 6231523 | caDSR Form |
Derived Variables
None
Process and Review
Not applicable
Protocol Name from Source
The Medical Outcomes Study (MOS) Social Support Survey
Source
Sherbourne, C. D., & Stewart, A. L. (1991). The MOS social support survey. Social Science and Medicine, 32(6), 705-714.
General References
Amstadter, A. B., Koenen, K. C., Ruggiero, K. J., Acierno, R., Galea, S., Kilpatrick, D. G., & Gelernter, J. (2009). Variant in RGS2 moderates posttraumatic stress symptoms following potentially traumatic event exposure. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 23(3), 369-373.
Boscarino, J. A., Kirchner, H. L., Hoffman, S. N., Sartorius, J., & Adams, R. E. (2011). PTSD and alcohol use after the World Trade Center attacks: A longitudinal study. Journal of Traumatic Stress, 24(5): 515-525.
Price, M., Gros, D. F., Strachan, M., Ruggiero, K. J., & Acierno, R. (2013). The role of social support in exposure therapy for Operation Iraqi Freedom/Operation Enduring Freedom veterans: A preliminary investigation. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 5(1), 93-100.
Protocol ID
630501
Variables
Export Variables| Variable Name | Variable ID | Variable Description | dbGaP Mapping | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PX630501_Support_Advice_Want | ||||
| PX630501120000 | People sometimes look to others for more | N/A | ||
| PX630501_Support_Confide_Problems | ||||
| PX630501080000 | People sometimes look to others for more | N/A | ||
| PX630501_Support_Good_Time | ||||
| PX630501060000 | People sometimes look to others for more | N/A | ||
| PX630501_Support_Help_Chores | ||||
| PX630501140000 | People sometimes look to others for more | N/A | ||
| PX630501_Support_Listen | ||||
| PX630501020000 | People sometimes look to others for more | N/A | ||
| PX630501_Support_Relax | ||||
| PX630501100000 | People sometimes look to others for more | N/A | ||
| PX630501_Support_Transport_Doctor | ||||
| PX630501040000 | People sometimes look to others for more | N/A | ||
| PX630501_Support_Turn_To_Problems | ||||
| PX630501160000 | People sometimes look to others for more | N/A | ||
| PX630501_Support_Understands_Problems | ||||
| PX630501180000 | People sometimes look to others for more | N/A | ||
Measure Name
Social Support
Release Date
November 21, 2014
Definition
A questionnaire to determine level and type of social support.
Purpose
This measure assesses the degree to which interpersonal relationships serve particular functions. In particular, it asks how often the respondent can rely on other people for emotional, tangible, and affectionate support and positive interaction.
Keywords
social support, Affection, Emotional support, Social companionship, Instrumental support
Measure Protocols
| Protocol ID | Protocol Name |
|---|---|
| 630501 | Social Support |
Publications
Prabhu, J., Acosta, S., Savorgnan, F., Annapragada, A. V., and Sethuraman, U. (2025) Social Determinants of Health Patterns in Children with Severe Disease Due to SARS-CoV-2 Infection-An Exploratory Approach Children-Basel. 2025 November; 12(11): 1515. doi: 10.3390/children12111515
Nguyen, A. P., Ke, W., Mei, S., and Nguyen, T. H. (2025) Understanding Prediabetes and Diabetes Among Vietnamese Americans: Exploring Biological, Psychological, and Social Factors J Transcult Nurs. 2025 November; 36(6): 690-701. doi: 10.1177/10436596251353035
Wilson, S. V., et al. (2025) Perceived social support and relationship quality predict loneliness in older adults: a social network approach. Aging & Mental Health. 2025 September; 29(9): 1632-1640. doi: 10.1080/13607863.2025.2491026
Kitzman, H., L. Dodgen, C. Vargas, M. Khan, A. Montgomery, M. Patel, B. Ajoku, et al. (2023) Community Health Worker Navigation to Improve Allostatic Load: The Integrated Population Health (Ipop) Study. Contemp Clin Trials Commun. 2023 November; 36(23-Dec). doi: 10.1016/j.conctc.2023.101235
Trifan, G., et al. (2023) Association of Unfavorable Social Determinants of Health With Stroke/Transient Ischemic Attack and Vascular Risk Factors in Hispanic/Latino Adults: Results From Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos Journal of Stroke. 2023 September; 25(3): 361-370. doi: 10.5853/jos.2023.00626
Korn, A. R., C. Walsh-Bailey, M. Pilar, B. Sandler, P. Bhattacharjee, W. T. Moore, R. C. Brownson, K. M. Emmons, and A. Y. Oh. (2022) Social Determinants of Health and Cancer Screening Implementation and Outcomes in the USA: A Systematic Review Protocol. Syst Rev. 2022 June; 11(1). doi: 10.1186/s13643-022-01995-4
FHIR
LHC-Forms Widget Demo
This page loads LHC-Forms directly from hosted CSS/JS files (no npm) and lets you load a Questionnaire from a sample, URL, or pasted JSON.
Note: URL loading depends on browser CORS policy. If blocked, use Paste JSON mode.
Rendered Form
Click "Export QuestionnaireResponse" after entering data.
Status
Waiting to load form...