BioPsychoSocial Assessment Tools for the Elderly - Assessment Summary Sheet

Test: Social Relationship Scale (SRS)

Year: 1981

Domain: Social

Assessment Tool Category: Social Support

Variations/Translations: N/A

Setting: Clinical/Community

Method of Delivery: Survey questionnaire administered by a trained interviewer

Description: The scale was designed to summarize both the qualitative and quantitative aspects of a person’s network of relationships. The SRS is a self-administered scale that is introduced by a trained interviewer who orients the respondent to 6 separate domains of life change/potential stressors. The scale originally formed one section in a larger questionnaire concerned with life changes and emotional well-being in which the respondent was asked to identify the people who supported her/him in each of the six areas in which s/he had experienced life changes. The SRS can also be used as a social support indicator on its own. society in general.

Scoring/Interpretation: Respondents record the initials of the person they talked to and indicate the type of relationship (e.g. – spouse, close family, etc). Then they rate the helpfulness of the discussion on a seven-point scale. They also rate whether that person would come to them to discuss similar problems to indicate reciprocity in the relationship. Three scores may be calculated. The quality of the network is estimated from the average of the seven-point helpfulness ratings, while the extent of the network is estimated from a summation of the total number of different individuals the respondent mentions. A score reflecting the degree of reciprocity is established by adding together the number of people named who the respondent thinks would come to them to discuss similar problems. McFarlane (1984) designate a relationship as multiplex if a support person is named in three separate problem areas.

Time to Administer: 20 minutes or longer

Availability: Contact Author: alan.mcfarland.@niassembly.gov.uk

Software: N/A

Website: N/A

Validity: Content validity was ensured through a review by four psychiatrists whose recommendations for improvement were incorporated into the scale. Discriminant validity was assessed by comparing 15 couples with known marital or family problems with 18 couples judged to communicate effectively with each other. The scale showed significant differences in ratings between the groups. Response bias was also examined to ascertain whether respondents tended to give socially desirable replies. The results suggested that the standard wording showed significantly less bias toward a socially desirable response in all areas.

Reliability: Test-retest reliability was assessed on 73 individuals after a one-week interval. Reliability correlations for the size of network ranged from 0.62 to 0.99, with a median of 0.91. Correlations for the quality score were lower, ranging from 0.54 to 0.94.

References:

McDowell, I. & Newell, C. (1996). Measuring Health: A Guide to Rating Scales and Questionnaires. (2nd ed.). New York: Oxford University Press.

McFarlane, A.H, Norman, G.R., Streiner, D.L., et al. (1984). Characteristics and correlates of effective and ineffective social supports. J Psychosom Res, 28:501–510.

McFarlane, A.H., Norman, G.R., Streiner, D.L., et al. (1983). The process of social stress: stable, reciprocal, and mediating relationships. J Health Soc Behav, 24:160–173.

McFarlane, A.H., Neale, K.A., Norman, G.R., et al. (1981). Methodological issues in developing a scale to measure social support. Schizophr Bull, 7:90–100.

Comments: The SRS provides more information than most social support measures. It covers both the quantity of the social contacts and their supportive quality and deals with giving as well as receiving support. It also covers potential negative aspects of relationships and satisfaction. Further assessment is warranted.