Psychometric evaluation of a momentary assessment of perceived social support

Perceived social support is an important construct because of its main effects on good mental and physical health. Although historically viewed as a trait-like construct, there is growing interest in perceived social support as a dynamic construct that ebbs and flows over time and across situations. Consequently, there is a need for an instrument that is psychometrically validated for use in ecological momentary and ambulatory assessment protocols. The current study evaluated the psychometric performance of a momentary assessment of perceived social support (MAPSS) using five archival datasets. Validity of the MAPSS was assessed by comparing its multilevel associations with a number of momentary, daily diary, and cross-sectional measures with pre-registered hypotheses derived from the existing literature. Results were generally in line with hypotheses. In addition, results supported the strong multilevel, interitem reliability of the MAPSS. Across the five samples, the MAPSS generally met expectations as a reliable and valid measure of momentary perceived social support.