Together with Mike Antoni and a number of other people‚ I have been involved for several years in research on the effects of a multi-modal cognitive-behavioral stress management intervention on the psychosocial well-being of breast cancer patients. In the course of this work‚ several questions have arisen about social support. One question is whether different sources of support matter in different ways (e.g.‚ partner‚ friends‚ health care providers).  Another question is how different aspects of support differ.  Indeed‚ there is a developing literature suggesting that negative support is more impactful than positive support. Neither of these questions is new-‎-both have been asked by other people. However‚ we found ourselves not entirely satisfied with how existing measures differentiated these variables from each other. We developed an item set of our own‚ which has now been used in at least two longitudinal studies of cancer patients (breast and prostate cancer).

The SSSS has a separate section for each potential source of support being assessed.  Each section uses essentially the same items (with appropriate changes of pronouns).


Proper citation is as follows:

Carver‚ C. S. (2006). Sources of Social Support Scale. http://www.psy.miami.edu/faculty/ccarver/sclSSSS.html

Here are the instructions for the SSSS‚ and the items as they would be applied to husband/partner.

These items concern the kinds of help and support you get from various people regarding your illness.  The items ask about several different sets of people‚ but apply the same questions to each. Use the following choices for these items:

1 = Not at all
2 = A little
3 = A moderate amount
4 = A pretty large amount
5 = A lot

A.  The first items concern your husband/partner.  [If you do not have a husband/partner‚ leave these items blank and skip to section B].

1.  How much does your husband/partner give you advice or information about your breast cancer (whether you want it or not)?
2.  How much does your husband/partner give you assistance with things related to your breast cancer (for example‚ helping you with daily chores‚ driving you places‚ dealing with bills and paperwork)?
3.  How much does your husband/partner give you reassurance‚ encouragement‚ and emotional support (affection) concerning your breast cancer?
4.  How much does your husband/partner listen to and try to understand your worries about your breast cancer?
5.  How much can you relax and be yourself around your husband/partner?
6.  How much can you open up to your husband/partner if you need to talk about your worries about your cancer?
7.  How often does your husband/partner argue with you relating to your cancer?
8.  How often does your husband/partner criticize you relating to your cancer?
9.  How often does your husband/partner let you down when you are counting on him?
10.  How often does your husband/partner withdraw from discussions about your illness or try to change the topic away from your illness?

B.  The next items concern adult women in your family (sisters‚ mother‚ aunts or adult daughters).  [If you do not have adult women in your family‚ leave these items blank and skip to section C]. 

Subsequent sections in this particular application are other family members‚ friends‚ and health care providers.

Please complete the following background information about yourself and then turn

over to fill out the rest of the questionnaire.

Name:…………………………………………………...…………..Sex:…….………..

Date of birth: ……………..……………. Today’s date: ………….……..………….

Occupation (please give most recent if not currently working):………………………...……..

…………………………………………………………………………………………..

How old were you when you left school? ………………………………………………

Do you have a degree?  YES    NO

Who else lives in your home? (e.g. partner‚ mother‚ flatmate‚ husband‚ stepson): …………………………………………………………..……………………

…………………………………………………………………………………………

…………..

1	a	I have one or two particular best friends.
	b	I have several friends who I would call best friends.
	c	I don’t have anybody who I would call a best friend.
2	a	The most important thing about a friendship is ha‎ving somebody to confide in.
	b	The most important thing about a friendship is ha‎ving somebody to have fun with.
3	a	If I had to pick‚ I would rather have a friend who enjoys doing the same things as me than a friend who feels the same way about life as I do.
	b	If I had to pick‚ I would rather have a friend who feels the same way about life as I do‚ than a friend who enjoys doing the same things as me.
4	a	I like to be close to people.
	b	I like to keep my distance from people.
5	a	When I talk with friends on the phone‚ it is usually to make arrangements rather than to chat.
	b	When I talk with friends on the phone‚ it is usually to chat rather than to make arrangements.
6	a	I tend to think of an activity I want to do and then find somebody to do it with.
	b	I tend to arrange to meet somebody and then think of something to do.
7	a	I prefer meeting a friend for a specific activity‚ e.g. going to the cinema‚ playing golf.
	b	I prefer meeting a friend for a chat‚ e.g. at a pub‚ at a café.
8	a	If I moved to a new area‚ I would put more effort into staying in touch with old friends than making new friends.
	b	If I moved to a new area‚ I would put more effort into making new friends than staying in touch with old friends.
9	a	My friends value me more as someone who is a support to them than as someone to have fun with.
	b	My friends value me more as someone to have fun with than as someone who is a support to them.
10	a	If a friend had a problem‚ I would be better at discussing their feelings about the problem than coming up with practical solutions
	b	If a friend had a problem‚ I would be better at coming up with practical solutions than discussing their feelings about the problem.
11	a	If a friend was ha‎ving personal problems‚ I would wait for them to contact me as I wouldn’t want to interfere.
	b	If a friend was ha‎ving personal problems‚ I would contact them to discuss the problem.
12	a	When I have a personal problem‚ I feel that it is better to work it out on my own.
	b	When I have a personal problem‚ I feel that it is better to share it with a friend.
	c	When I have a personal problem‚ I feel that it is better to try and forget about it.
13	a	If I have to say something critical to a friend‚ I think it’s best to broach the subject gently.
	b	If I have to say something critical to a friend‚ I think it’s best to just come right out and say it.
14	If I fell out with a good friend and I thought that I hadn’t done anything wrong‚ I would
	a	do whatever it takes to repair the relationship.
	b	be willing to make the first move‚ as long as they reciprocated
	c	be willing to sort out the problem‚ if they made the first move.
	d	not feel able to be their close friend anymore.
15	My ideal working space would be
	a	in an office on my own‚ without any visitors during the day.
	b	in an office on my own‚ with an occasional visitor during the day
	c	in an office with one or two others.
	d	in an open plan office.
For the next set of questions‚ please tick the box to indicate your answer.
16	How easy do you find discussing your feelings with your friends?
		Very easy
		Quite easy
		Not very easy
		Quite difficult
		Very difficult
17	How easy would you find it to discuss your feelings with a stranger?
		Very easy
		Quite easy
		Not very easy
		Quite difficult
		Very difficult
18	In terms of personality‚ how similar to your friends do you tend to be?
		Very similar
		Quite similar
		Not very similar
		Very dissimilar
19	In terms of interests‚ how similar to your friends do you tend to be?
		Very similar
		Quite similar
		Not very similar
		Very dissimilar
20	How important is it to you what your friends think of you?
		Of no importance
		Of little importance
		Fairly important Very important
		Of upmost importance
21	How important is it to you what strangers think of you?
		Of no importance
		Of little importance
		Fairly important
		Very important
		Of upmost importance
22	How easy do you find it to admit to your friends when you’re wrong?
		Very easy
		Quite easy
		Not very easy
		Quite difficult
		Very difficult
23	How easy to do you find it to tell a friend about your weaknesses and failures?
		Very easy
		Quite easy
		Not very easy
		Quite difficult
		Very difficult
24	How easy do you find it to tell a friend about your achievements and successes?
		Very easy
		Quite easy
		Not very easy
		Quite difficult
		Very difficult
25	How interested are you in the everyday details (e.g. their relationships‚ family‚ what’s currently going on in their lives) of your close friends’ lives?
		Completely disinterested
		Not very interested
		Quite interested
		Very interested
26	How interested are you in the everyday details (e.g. their relationships‚ family‚ what’s currently going on in their lives) of your casual friends’ lives?
		Completely disinterested
		Not very interested
		Quite interested
		Very interested
27	When you are in a group‚ e.g. at work‚ school‚ church‚ parent group etc.‚ how important is it for you to know the “gossip” e.g. who dislikes who‚ who’s had a relationship with who‚ secrets.
		Of no importance
		Of little importance
		Fairly important
		Very important
		Of great importance
28	Do you work harder at your career than at maintaining your relationships with friends?
		Yes
		No
		Equal
29	How often do you make plans to meet with friends?
		Once or twice a year
		Once every 2 or 3 months
		Once a month
		Once every couple of weeks
		Once or twice a week
		3 or 4 times a week
		More than any of the above
30	How would you prefer to keep in touch with friends? (Please put: 1 in the box next to your most preferred method 2 in the box next to your second preference 3 in the box next to your third preference)
		Face to face contact
		Email/letters
		Telephone calls
31	How easy to do you find it to make new friends?
	Very easy
	Quite easy
	Not very easy
	Quite difficult
	Very difficult
32	What would be the minimum social contact you would need to get through a day?
		No contact – I don’t get lonely
		Just being near to people‚ even if I am not talking to them
		A casual chat‚ e.g.‚ with a shop assistant or hairdresser
		A chat with a friend
		Two or three chats with friends during the day
		More than any of the above
33	What would be the minimum social contact you would need to get through a week?
		None – I don’t get lonely
		Being around people‚ even if I wasn’t talking to them
		Casual chats‚ e.g. with a shop assistant or hairdresser
		One chat with a friend
		Two or three chats during the week with friends
		One chat every day with a friend
		Two or three chats every day with a friend
		More than any of the above
34	When talking with friends‚ what proportion of your time do you spend talking about the following: (Please put: 1 in the box next to the topic that you talk most about‚ 2 in the box next to the topic you talk next most about‚ etc‚ through to 7 in the box next to the topic you talk least about. Use each number only once i.e. there should be no ties.)
		Politics and current affairs
		Hobbies and interests (eg. sport‚ TV‚ music‚ cinema‚ fashion‚ holidays‚ gardening‚ DIY etc.)
		Personal matters (e.g. life choice decisions‚ arguments‚ feelings)
		Work
		Family and friends
		The weather
		What you’ve been doing since last time you spoke
35		At social occasions‚ when you meet someone for the first time‚ how likely are you to talk about the following. (Please put: 1 in the box next to the topic that you talk most about‚ 2 in the box next to the topic you talk next most about‚ etc‚ through to 7 in the box next to the topic you talk least about. Use each number only once i.e. there should be no ties.)
		Politics and current affairs
		Hobbies and interests (e.g. sport‚ TV‚ music‚ cinema‚ fashion‚ holidays‚ gardening‚ DIY etc.)
		Personal matters (e.g. life choice decisions‚ arguments‚ feelings)
		Work
		Family and friends
		The weather
		What you’ve been doing recently

ãSBC/SJW MRC 2000

List the significant people in your life‚ those people that you currently feel a strong emotional tie to‚ regardless of whether that tie is positive‚ negative or mixed. List as many or as few people as you feel necessary. These individuals can be listed in any order. In addition‚ please fill in the other information requested about these individuals.

Name/ Initials	Relationship (e.g. friend‚ brother)	SexM/F	Age (yrs)	Distance From You 1 = same house 2 = within 10 min drive 3 = within 1 hour drive 4 = within 1 day drive 5 = more than 1 day drive	Frequency of Contact(visit‚ phone‚ write) 1 = daily/almost daily 2 = at least once/week 3 = at least once/month 4 = 3 to 4 times/year 5 = approx. once/year 6 = less than once/year	Amount of Time You Have Known Each Other (years)
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Name/ Initial	A.Want to go to	B.Actually go to	C.Like to count on	D.Actually count on	E.See/talk regularly	F.Impact of death	G.Makes you upset	H.Emotional connection
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